Working in the Netherlands, I have found the relationship between the American worker, business, and the state to be a surprisingly frequent topic of conversation among my Dutch colleagues. Simply put, they are totally perplexed. After all, they receive universal health care, generous maternity leave, quarterly child allowances, and even a state-mandated yearly holiday bonus of eight percent. How is it even possible, they ask me, that American workers get so little from their employers, their unions, and their government?