Apart from the money here (which is now next to worthless in the global market) - tipping is ridiculous. This interesting article on MSN notes that the Federal Minimum Wage for tipped employees is $2.13/hour. More Americans should travel... then they'd realise how much of a raw deal they get here: sub-standard infrastructure, expensive food, poor health-care, unstable retirement incomes, no social safety net, laughable public transport etc etc. America is a great country to be wealthy: but a shitty country to poor.