> I also don't think there is a magical amount of money where you are going to suddenly double your pool of candidates willing to do this kind of work.

There would be more people interested in aviation choosing to be ATC than a pilot if our pay matched that of major airline pilots.

There are people going through the training and then quiting when they realize that can't get an opening in their hometown because that spot is reserved for a random person one week behind them in the FAA academy, and the pay won't make it worth moving away from their family.

There are more examples, and appropriate pay would fix most of them.

(Opinions are my own and not necessarily that of the FAA.)