USA, as we know, is the most capitalist place in the world. It rewards entrepreneurs above all else. You must innovate, we will give you the capital to innovate, and if you succeed you pay no taxes. You make $5 billion a year. You pay no taxes. You own a business, you can spend on anything and deduct as much as possible on every possible expense. If you manage the system properly, you manage to live through the pressure, and you build something that succeeds, you will be rewarded.
Knowing this, who pays the most taxes? The W2 employee who earns a high wage. Employees are punished for not being entrepreneurial by paying more taxes that someone earning the same amount through his own business.
This explains what the USA is made for: don’t be an employee here. Take the huge risks, and just make sure it pays off. It won’t pay off for everyone — this place is very “survival of the fittest”. But, at least you can be proud that you tried to build something and not follow the traditional 9-5 routine like the rest of the world, being a slave to your boss. You are punished for going the safe route.
The reality is, not everyone is made for entrepreneurship. In its very nature, business is competitive and therefore some businesses must fail. This is the advantage of the employee: he is always the first to get paid, before the employer. You pay more taxes for your security, for deciding to participate to society the normal way, supporting someone else’s dream.
So, now you are left with a choice: either enjoy the stability of making money at a job, with some idea of what you will be making in the future, or you opt for variable pay with much more upside. Which type of person are you? And who do you want to be?