Ambulance chasers can make a lot of money. Believe me. And if, like airline pilots, there were 14,000 of them working for one law firm, I'm sure they would have a collective bargaining agent that would negotiate compensation based on some semblance of an industry standard. I don't know of many lawyers that are scraping by. As for public defenders, that is a choice that attorneys make and their income is dictated by what ever government constituency they serve but they're not making waiters pay, either. Seasoned medical, legal, pilots and other professions are recruited into government jobs, and the government must compete with private institutions and therefore pay pilots base salary and incentives on a basis consistent with an industry standard.

Just like everything else, trades have a certain value. It may vary and be inconsistent to a degree but there's a fundamental an underlying range that exists for the profession to remain healthy. Take a look at what the HMO short sighted approach to medicine has done to the medical professions. Enrollment in medical schools for US students is at an all-time low. Risk/reward