They are missing something basic
When a doctor walks out of medical school, said doctor walks into a residency. Residents make $35-$40K/year. But have to pay servicing on the loans. The loans are typically a mix of different kinds, ranging from government loans like the ones you remember (though these days the interest rate is above inflation) to private loans at a fairly stiff interest rate. Mostly of 5-10 year terms. During residency, paying back really is difficult.
This is the period that doctors tend to complain about. The point at which debt comes due but you don't actually make very much. This is where my wife is, with a hiccoup because she didn't get into the residency that she wanted.
At about this time, students get many offers to "consolidate" their debts. Consolidation turns a series of 5-10 year loans into a 20 year loan with a corresponding lowering of monthly payments. The consolidated loan comes at a distinct cost - while you pay less per month, long-term you pay a lot more. It isn't worth it if you can avoid it. (We're avoiding it.)
Now some more facts to consider. The average doctor makes the equivalent of 2 professional incomes. True. The average doctor also works the equivalent of 2 careers. Doctors also require a longer professional education than any other non-academic career that I know of. Furthermore doctors start making money significantly later in life than other professionals, so they have less time to save for retirement, and less time to take advantage of compound interest. In financial advice books that I've read, doctors tend to get singled out as a group that isn't properly prepared financially. (An additional problem - various kinds of hucksters know that doctors make a lot and are financially naive. Opportunities abound for doctors to blow money...)
So, sure. Lots of people at the staff parking lot in a hospital have a lot of toys. Their finances are often not in nearly as good of shape as the toys suggest. Their work hours tend to be insane. And if you know a few, you'd find that they are telling their kids to go into law and business rather than medicine.
Is doctor more lucrative than being a bookkeeper? Sure. Of course anyone capable enough to be a doctor has more lucrative alternatives than bookkeeping. Most of the careers on your list were better than bookkeeping, and the non-executive ones didn't include anything requiring a professional degree. Consider as an alternative something like law school (much easier to get into than medical school). It takes 3 years to get the degree, there is no residency training, the hours are better, and after 2 years your [link|http://www.nvbar.org/News_and_other_information/2002_comp_survey.htm|average salary] is $70K, with plenty of opportunities for advancement. A few years down the road, who is ahead? Some day, the doctor. But it takes more years than you might think to get there. And the years lost are the years when most of us would like to get a home, have a family, and still have our health.
Are doctors overpaid? Depends how you think about it. Sure, their lives are much better than the average person's in the end. But their eventual compensation is in line with what you could expect from other professions with difficult entry requirements.
Cheers,
Ben
