I agree that it is possible for programmers to have a net-negative impact on LOC, but I didn't really address that because I can't think of many realistic long-

I agree that it is possible for programmers to have a net-negative impact on LOC, but I didn't really address that because I can't think of many realistic long-term employment solutions where that would be the normal expectation (driveby consulting gigs don't count). Even if you walk in and are able to eliminate large quantities of cruft in your first, say, 3 months on the job, once you pare the core down and simplify, the company will continue to want new features and changes, which will typically necessitate some growth. I think the best realistic option would be a relatively-modest gain in net lines over the course of a year, commensurate with the number of new features.