SNIP
>>Of course it is hardly in the interests of those with money to push for such "reform", is it?!?! Nor is it in the interests of Accountants generally, who now can be viewed as programmers used to be viewed (magicians who can pull great stunts for the benefit of the corporation) and collect much bigger bucks too.
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>I really doubt that accounting is that cut-and-dried, but then again, I am not an accountant. And before we start bashing all accountants, there were some in Arthur Anderson who were on record as being totally against what was going on at Enron. I think a large majority of accountants are honest.

I agree that the majority of Accountants are honest. And they must cringe when they see their confreres pull stunts and get away with them. And no doubt like most other professions, "professional courtesy" likely inhibits them from speaking out.
These high-flyers who work the magic naturally get noticed and rise quickly to more and more responsible positions and move quickly from company to company, getting a premium for doing so.