If the Lefties are so damn smart, how is it that they seem terrified to compete in the free market?
Why do they cower at the thought of a meritocracy?
A meritocracy does not take into consideration social impacts, and sometimes the market creates socially undesireable outcomes. Sometimes, liberals believe, the most democratic thing to do is to have the people, via their government, intervene in the marketplace to enforce fairness.
After all, capitalism is a highly selective economic and social system, and many people just aren't cut out for it. We have a social obligation to our fellow citizens to help them out by letting them leapfrog above those who have worked their way up. (Just quoting what you hear in any public school.)