13 January 2010

Here's an interesting comparison

Number of the 100 U.S. senators who have law degrees: 53

Number of the nine members of the Chinese Communist Party’s governing body who were trained as engineers: 8

Source: Harper's Index, June 2009.

10 comments:

  1. I find that interesting in that there are that many engineers that approve of grossly oppressive oligarchical regimes that trample human rights while seducing the rest of the world with their "free markets."

    I understand that the above sounds a bit liberal but I mean it from the Classical Republican point of view. Truly free markets are the hallmark of a truly free people and those that govern you are best judged by the limits of their power and not by their studies of choice.

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  2. Well, when you live in an oppressive state, there's not much need for lawyers.

    Engineering, is there a better profession for displaying an excessive use of power (ie: 3 gorges dam)?

    First time poster, long time follower btdubs. Love the blog.

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  3. I guess they follow Shakespeare's line (don't know which play)

    "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

    A fine sentiment of which most reasonable people would approve

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  4. You should read this blog post from Scott Adams about china government:
    http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/china_is_doomed/

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  5. Everyone hates lawyers until they need them. Then you're suddenly everyone's best friend.

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  6. I'm a civil engineer as were Herbert Hoover and Yassar Arafat. I think lawyers are probably better candidates for political office than engineers. At the upper end of the legal profession, they're also much smarter than engineers - which is not to say that the lawyers who go into politics come from the upper end of the legal profession.

    I bet this line

    "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

    has always gotten laughs.

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  7. I think the kill the lawyers line predates ole Bill. Wasn't that from an Aeschylus play?

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  8. Legal Eagle -

    You are absolutely right.

    I also despair that there are so many lawyers in Washington - I don't think it is the best thing for the country. I wish we had more engineers, business people, teachers, doctors - just regular people there.

    But I wouldn't want to live in a world where there aren't attorneys who are backed by laws designed to protect our rights. It would be a dark, dark world.

    Deana

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  9. I worked with lawyers and engineers my entire professional life. I never met an engineer I'd want making any of my laws and I never met a lawyer I'd want designing a bridge I'd have to cross. Let's be happy with the way it is.

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  10. Not only that -- engineers have made up more than their fair share of terrorists over the last few years, including the Underwear Bomber.

    http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/12/29/time-to-profile-engineers/

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