[vpalanc1]

It strikes me as incredibly... (foolish, arrogant, etc.) to think that one knows better how a set of certain people (programmers in this case) SHOULD organize their life/defend "their rights".

People, in general, don't want to be rich. They want to be happy. Programmers are a happy bunch, when you look at them in aggregate, and compare with other categories of professionals. They are happy to give away enormous quantities of their labour. They spread "egalitarian myths" because they are happy with their lifestyle, and want others to join in. Because they are so confident, that they don't feel they need monopolies to protect or improve their lifestyle.

You are making a fundamentally flawed assumption that programmers are not "smart enough to unionise". What if they are smart enough NOT TO unionise? What if they actually know better than you think they do?

Never assume you know better how one should live his/her life.