The labor market ain't free. There's minimum wage, all these regulations around payroll and healthcare. Consider that 40 hours a week is standard... why is that

The labor market ain't free. There's minimum wage, all these regulations around payroll and healthcare. Consider that 40 hours a week is standard... why is that standard? Is it because a majority independently arrived at that same conclusion? Or is it because of overtime laws? Consider the W2 vs 1099 employee, or the fact that you can't purchase healthcare at a competitive rate outside of employment, and employment isn't required to provide that below 30 hours/week. Doesn't seem very free to me, sounds downright byzantine.