Wouldn't it be easier to say "Hey wizards, should be in line with everyone else?"?
No because they shouldnt. A wizard is pulling a ball a fire and brimstone from another dimension and shooting it at you with magical energies, a fighter is a man of above average str and con that carriers a sword, which one do you think would win in a fight? Also wizards have to work to get their power in the form of sucking ass at lower levels where fighters dominate.
What is funny is that your answer was to do what 4E already does - but in a case by case basis that is quite haphazard
What is telling is that in your solution in the F-14 wizard example was
to weaken the wizard class thus bringing the classes into a closer balance with each otherThe problem is that you will have to
house rule dozens of spells in a campaign, especially at higher levels in order to keep them even somewhat balanced. Improved invisibility, summon monster spells, teleport and dimension door spells, charm and dominate spells, gate, spells with no saving throws, and on and on and on.
Any level 1 spellcaster would win a one on one fight most of the time against a level 1 fighter.
Wizards get color spray, sleep and charm person at level 1, which will stop a level 1 fighter dead in his tracks. Clerics can fight decently and heal themselves at level 1. So can druids, plus they get an animal companion.
Also, you might say but spellcasters only get so many spells a day - which is true. But what party continues on adventuring when the spellcasters are out of spell, unless they absolutely have to keep going? Most of the time, they will stop and rest and most of the time you will have to let them or that trick will get real old real fast.