[DannyBee]

Uh, you have a strange view of 1. what the average engineer does all day 2. What the average lawyer does all day

Most lawyers spend time working on client's problems, not "argue all day".

Lawyers bill their time often in 5 minute increments, and only charge for time they are actually doing something.

If the average engineer sat down and tracked what they did every 5 minutes of the day, i think you'd find they are a lot less productive than they think.

[velodrome]

In California, lawyers bill hourly and in the $300-400/hr range.

But your right, we should look to Congress because they are actually quite productive. Majority of them have a background in political science and law.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42365.pdf

http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%260BL%...

[DannyBee]

All lawyers have an hourly rate, the question is the minimum time unit they charge for.

I'm not sure what congress has to do with any of this.

I could point out engineers doing plenty of evil unproductive and wasteful things too (malware, fart apps, NSA surveillance applications, whatever), but much like your original complaint, it's just character assassination

[velodrome]

It is clear your a lawyer of some kind. I am not trying to demean your profession or others who practice law. I was using role reversal to make a point. I should have used "legislator" instead. So, I apologize for that.

The decision-makers are mostly comprised of people with a background in law. Why is it fair to pass a law for taxing software development but not taxing the act of practicing law?

I just think it is unfair for legislators to protect their professional occupation at the expense of others. There clearly needs to be more diversity among people who hold public office.

As for unproductive engineers - sure, there are plenty. The same applies to all other professions. However, it is hard to argue against the progress made by STEM fields over the last few centuries.