I understand what you're getting at, and I think I agree with you based on that last statements about asterisks, etc.

> I should tell you that a functionling legal system is so fundamentally important to the survival of our country that you should be willing to make the sacrifice to do your part.

Unfortunately, there's a big disparity in privilege in this country. Personally, my workplace will pay me in full if I'm on a jury, so it's no skin off my back. Plus, I make enough that not being paid for a week would be inconvenient, but wouldn't really change my life significantly (Although a week's pay for me would be a significant "donation" to the legal system). But that's not an obligation for most workplaces, and most people aren't in my situation financially.

Even paying jurors minimum wage 8 hours/day * 7.25 would be a significant raise. But still wouldn't be sufficient for a lot of people to appear. Which of course, speaks to the big asterisk around why people don't want to appear.

> I should tell you that if everyone with something better to do got themselves out of Jury Duty that it would make the entire system untenable and fill juries with the least capable people.

Having served on a jury, I can tell you first hand, this is already going on. We were hearing a child sex trafficking case, and one of the (male) jurors tried to argue that the victim (15 at the time) might have wanted to be a prostitute.