IIRC, This has always been the case.

As a contractor, you shouldn't expect fringe benefits because you're never around long enough to collect. Although that's changing somewhat in Silicon Valley. All the young hipsters want to work in San Francisco, so the perks are getting better for those willing to work in plain old Silicon Valley.

I would have to pay $650 per month at my old employer for healthcare. Similar coverage cost $350 per month under Obamacare. That's without any subsidies.

In Silicon Valley, all of them.

Health insurance, 401K with employer match, etc, what the hell is that? Life has been hard since the Great Recession. However, with everyone wanting to work in San Francisco, the perks are getting better for workers who are willing to give up hipster society and work in boring Silicon Valley.

I was out of work for two years (2009-2010), underemployed for six months (working 20 hours PER MONTH), and filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy in 2011. After the first six months of unemployment, I was told that I was "unemployable" by recruiters and "overqualified" for minimum wage jobs by hiring managers. With 99 weeks of unemployment benefits and draining my savings to zero, I managed to weather that one out. Unless a company offered to pay for moving, I couldn't afford to move and didn't. Six years later, I'm still recovering from the Great Recession.

I make 80% more as a tech contractor working numerous short-term assignments (one day to one year) for different companies than a tech worker collecting 2% raises at the same company for 5+ years.

Depending on how the business is structured, a paycheck is optional.

I was out of work for two years (2009-2010), underemployed for six months (working 20 hours PER MONTH), and filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy in 2011. During those years, recruiters told me I was "unemployable" for tech jobs and hiring managers told me I was "overqualified" for minimum wage jobs. Yet I got another tech job after my bankruptcy despite these repeated assertions. What the difference between my old tech job in 2009 and the new tech job in 2011? Nothing. The jobs were the same. The reason I got hired in 2011 was because the hiring manager needed people for the contract and couldn't make excuses for not hiring qualified candidates.

People with EARNED INCOME pay the highest tax rates. Ever wonder why Steve Jobs and other CEO's take a $1 salary? They don't want to pay taxes on EARNED INCOME. Meanwhile, they pay lower taxes on PORTFOLIO INCOME (i.e., stocks and bonds) and PASSIVE INCOME (i.e., real estate). If you don't want to pay your fair share of taxes, stop working for EARNED INCOME.

No. But, being Europe, it's taxed four different ways.

The three other words:

Against Corporate Policy

No, that's a C-O-M-P-R-I-S-E. Bipartisan means that you have least one person from the other side voting for your proposal.

Who knew that Klingons came from Earth?

What is he smoking and where can I get some?