The academic career and the "life of the mind" are done-for in this society. The US has already decided that it doesn't care about these things, and there reall

The academic career and the "life of the mind" are done-for in this society. The US has already decided that it doesn't care about these things, and there really isn't an option to turn back. There will be demand for teaching, for sure, but basic research is gone and the academic career no longer has the resources to create enough decent positions that would entice the top people to stay. What's happening now is that the best people are going into industry, and spending time in academia after they are rich enough to retire. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the future of academia: a place where successful older people teach the young, but not a lifelong career.