Grade Inflation

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/02/magazine/02ESSAY.html?ex=1084420800&en=375e49dbe1d2c1a0&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1 Apparently, Princeton University has moved to attempt to end grade inflation by limiting A's to 35% rather than the 47% that they had been. A Princeton student complained on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" that this would mean that students would be competing against other students and not against a fixed criterion for their grades. It seems that this is a good thing, though--in school, I have never been motivated to reach cold standards, but have been motivated to be the smartest guy around. This motivation can't last forever, but it works for a while. If you're going to have grades at all (and I'm not convinced you should), why not make them what they are--utterly meritocratic and "competition-oriented"?