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There is a difference between being a paper MCSE and a knowledgeable MCSE.

Same as if I only studied a drivers ed manual, took the test and passed. Would I be a good driver necessarily? No
Should that alone lessen the quality or value of a Drivers License? No.

But if I had experience driving either before or while studying to take the exam, then yes, I would be a good driver, yet it would have no bearing on the integrity of the drivers license.

The MCSE is only as good as the person who has it, just like anything. Even *nix users have people who claim to be certified but are only as good as the framed cert hanging on their wall.

I'd tend to agree. I'm a self admitted paper MCSE. However, I let my employer know that up front before I was hired, and I didn't apply for jobs that required me to run whole networks on the basis that I read books about them. My only gripe before I found a job was that the entry level job market for this field seemed to be fairly small (and probably due to the reason that people with MCSE's were hired without having much experience, if any, and burned their employers). It is the same old story that applies with getting a loan. You need good credit to get a loan, yet to get good credit you need a loan. And here, you need experience to get a job, yet to get a job you need experience. Oh well, like many have said here before, SQL and other database certs are probably the way to go. I can't imagine businesses surviving without them.