Doyle, I think you exhibit what we in the Trotskyist movement used to call a "workerist" deviation. The difference between a contract programmer and a per diem typist is one of degree. While the younger programmers tend to have libertarian notions about how "entrepreneurial" they are, many if not most of the contract programmers who work on "legacy" applications can't get full-time jobs because of age discrimination. When I said that I could make $600 per day as a contract programmer, what I left out is that this is the only way I can work on Wall St. They simply won't hire people over 40 as full-time employees. If I got a contract and worked 6 months, there is always the possibility that I couldn't find another contract for another 6 months. I went through this ordeal in the late 80s and it is very depressing.
Louis Proyect (http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)