On 26-9-2009 19:43, Darren New wrote:
> andrel wrote:
>> - make sure that someone with knowledge or skills earns more than a 
>> lawyer (i.e. fix the juridical system)
> 
> What makes you think lawyers don't have knowledge and skills?  
> Admittedly, it's "stamp collecting" knowledge rather than "fact finding" 
> knowledge, but it's still a whole bunch of study as well as a fairly 
> brutal test at the end.

In case it was not clear, I was mocking a bit. But I was also a bit 
serious. I could do a lengthy explanation, but perhaps it is enough to 
say that I think most of the best earning lawyers belong in ship B of 
the Golgafrincham Ark Fleet. Many of them have a good set of brains that 
might have been more productive elsewhere, but then they would not earn 
as much. There are also lawyers that are important to society but these 
earn not nearly as much.
Second, my own experience with the study of law and its students. In the 
Netherlands these law students are the ones that are most visible to the 
general public and the main reason students are associated with lazy, 
drinking, right wing party goers. There are students that study it 
because they are interested in it, but a large proportion simply does it 
to get a job in whatever the old boys network provides (and until about 
the 80s, women often did it to find a husband). There may be a 'brutal' 
test at the end, but in physics we studied a lot more and still the 
percentage that graduates is way lower than in law.

Somebody once said: 'why would I study hard to be a physicist for 5 
years, while I can also do law and be the manager of a group of 
physicist, earn more, and have 4 years of partying at uni instead?'
In the US you might add to that: why would I study hard to be a doctor, 
while I can also do law and sue them?

Ok, this lacks some some subtleties, and yes, IANAL.

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