People let out a whistle when they hear about triple-digit hourly fees charged by lawyers, business consultants and sundry white-collar specialists. But observe them closely when the subject comes up. They don't accuse the practitioners of ripping them off. They are more awestruck than disdainful. They don't like paying through the nose for those services but accept it as the way the world operates.
It's only when the plumber and other trade workers present their bill that blood boils and stinging jokes fly. I'm not talking only about the flat raters who build $200+ hourly labor rates into their job prices. Most people think the time and material plumber billing labor at $50 an hour is taking unfair advantage of them.