The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers
The Most and Least Trusted Occupations
By Althea Chang | Big Data Download Yahoo Finance August 9, 2013
Lawyers and business executives are among the least trusted occupations in America, and members of the military, teachers and scientists are highly regarded, but Americans are split on just how much those groups contribute to society, according to a recent survey .
About 24 percent of 4,006 adults polled from across the country by the Pew Research Center said business executives contribute "a lot" to society's well being while 28 percent say executives contribute little to nothing to society.
The difference is much more dramatic when it comes to perception of lawyers, however. Only 18 percent of those surveyed said lawyers contribute a lot, while 34 percent said lawyers contribute little to nothing to society, according to the Pew Research Center.
Pew specifically asked about the perception of ten occupational categories and how much they contribute to society, according to Cary Funk, senior researcher at the Pew Research Center.
Source: Pew Research Center
"The wording of the question definitely makes a difference in how people respond, but what's interesting about this is you can compare it to other surveys done by other organizations that use different wording and you tend to see a similar relative ranking of these occupational groups," Funk said.
Among the more highly-regarded occupations, more than 70 percent of those surveyed said members of the military and teachers contribute a lot to society, according to the study. And scientific fields ranked highly. More than 60 percent of those surveyed said medical doctors, scientists and engineers contribute a lot to society, while less than 10 percent said each group doesn't contribute much or contributes nothing at all, Pew reported.
"What is perhaps most striking about this list is the paradox that exists between public perception and career pursuit. The occupations that are most esteemed are also the ones that too few people seek out," noted John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Teachers, scientists and engineers all suffer from labor shortages, a situation that is likely to worsen as more and more baby boomers exit the workforce. Meanwhile, business and law are flush with candidates, with more and more graduating with business and law degrees every year, Challenger said.
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The survey does make Shakespeare's Henry VI's statement "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"a more understandable comment. How do I feel about this? Well, speaking as a lawyer, I think it's time to run. (Oh, I already did - I found refuge in China).
Are you the only lawyer in China Buzz?
No. There are Chinese lawyers who deal with Chinese Law, and as well large North American law firms have set up shop in the biggest cities.
Buzz, that was said, tongue in cheek..
But your are the only lawyer representing NT in China.
Our man in China.
LMAO! Good one Special K!
Buzz,
I come from a family of lawyers. My Uncle, FIN, BIN, SIN, and I have to say that they are among the most ethical people I know. I have nothing but respect for them and I feel that their work is necessary. I being both a teacher and a CPA, feel that teachers do make a difference. CPA's I'm not so sure about. Really more of a necessary evil. The rest of my family were ex-military turned scientist and doctors. Of course, I hold them in high regard. So, maybe it's just bad stereotypes.
There is a pivotal moment in the movie 1776, when John Adams is fighting with John Dickinson over the need for independence. They come to blows as they hurl insults at each other... the final insult before it turned physical was Dickinson calling Adams...."LAWYER!" So these findings are nothing new... as you pointed out. Yet clearly, Adams was one of our most ethical Presidents we ever had. You guys just get a bad rep from the few bad apples.
I guess that I'll have to point this out.
Politicians are rated at -7%..The highest their rating has been in the last couple of decades.
Now our three branches of government intended to serve as a check on each other are in the same hands
The biggest problem with the large number of lawyers in elective office today is that, disregarding everything else, they increasingly control all branches of our government: The Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary. This in contravention of what the founders of our nation were trying to avoid when they divided our government into three branches so as to provide checks and balances and a separation of powers.
Though James Madison author of the U. S. Constitution realized that this checking of each branch on the other made for a far less efficient government, he realized, as he wrote in Federalist 47, that the sacrifice was worth it to prevent tyranny by a government in the same hands :
No political truth is certainly of greater intrinsic value or is stamped with the authority of more enlightened patrons of liberty than that . . . the accumulation of all powers legislative, executive and judiciary in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.
Today 46% of our government branches are in the same hands of lawyers. Who, although as lawyers constitute a very sizeable number, still make up only % of our population.
Lawyers make up 38% of our Legislative branch, 100% of our Judicial branch and 0% of our Executive Branch. Electing Barock Obama with his lawyer wife will cause our three branches of government to be made up 80% of lawyers. Irrespective of one's political party this is untenable if one wishes to prevent government "in the same hands". The same hands of lawyers.
From my POV having the survey cover lawyers but not cover cops is a big omission .
That explains why our government is so corrupt.
Actually I don't really know what percentages are absolutely correct as I haven't researched each and every elected politician in our Federal government myself. I'm only posting information from the Legal Reform site. If they are correct then 38% of the legislature branch is comprised of lawyers and of course we know the Judicial Branch is 100% lawyers.
Now that Obama has been elected as the comment stated above the Executive Branch is also occupied by a lawyer. The way they come up with the 80% is add 38% plus 100% plus 100% and divide by 3 which comes out to 79.999999% of our elected and appointed branches of government is 80% lawyers taken as branches, not individuals.
I understand you know what I mean, AeonPax, and not trying to do anything but show each branch has one voice in the end and that voice is 80% lawyers when our total population is comprised of one half of one percent or .5% lawyers.
The thing that bothers me is the different powers of each branch has become blurred recently maybe longer, but when the Supreme Court actually rewrites the Constitution as Roberts did on Obamacare, it appears they have overstepped their authority to interpret the laws and have taken on the Legislatures authority as well.
And I bet if a study was done we would find out many of the appointees by the president are lawyers such as Anthony Foxx, former mayor of Charlotte, NC during the DNC, who has now been appointed Secretary of Transportation. He was mayor of Charlotte while employed by Design Line Corporation, a hybrid electric bus manufacturer, as its Deputy General Counsel. So just a suggestion, buy stock in Design Line Corporation.
Granted that lawyers are positioned to be able to be corrupt, to be able to take advantage of people, while other professions are not so much, but it is wrong to generalize. For example, think of Atticus Finch.
Sure there are bad lawyers, just as there are bad judges, bad cops, bad doctors, scientist, bus drivers, painters, plumbers, teachers, ... well, I don't know about teachers
, but you can find bad eggs in every profession.
I don't understand why lawyers are held in such low esteem. I mean, when we get in trouble with the law, or slipon a wet floor in a supermarket, " the first thing we do" .... is call a lawyer.
"slipon a wet floor in a supermarket, "the first thing we do".... is call a lawyer.
Sounds like a liberal.
In addition President Barack Obama, who hold Juris Doctorate from the Harvard School of Law, and was a Senior Lecturer at the Chicago Law School for 12 years, and Joe Biden (he's the Vice President), who hold a law degree from the law school at Syracuse University, according to an article in the Harvard Law Review ( of which Obama, btw was the first black president );
"The federal government is full of lawyers. Every business day approximately 20,000 lawyers head to their jobs in the federal government. 1 In the morning, these lawyers assemble their draft briefs and regulations, prepare their business-casual or old-fashioned business attire, and begin their commutes to work for their government jobs. These lawyers work in a range of federal agencies or executive departments. "
Of course the 62% of legislators that are not lawyers have nothing to do with the corruption in our government.
Personally, as I see it, the laws in the USA (as illustrated by Kavika's series on Baby Veronica, if not for virtually every other litigious-maniac situation) create a total quagmire. When I see all the recent news about sinkholes, I think of the American legal system.
For example, the whole concept of "contingent fees" rather than standard hourly rates actually invites multitudinous unnecessary litigation.
Sounds like a bias comment from a conservative.