I’ve both worked as an independent contractor (making way less than I should have and hustling to do it) and now as a small business owner, I’ve hired two independent contractors. I can’t afford right now to pay either of the people who work with me a full-time living wage with insurance and benefits (I would love to), as the clients I work with would have to pay double for the services they contract me for. Yes, it’s a problem with the big companies and it’s also a problem with tiny companies, because that’s the system we are participating in. The fact that we have to ‘earn’ food, shelter, water and medical care is at the root of all of this. It becomes a huge hamster wheel you can’t get off lest you find yourself living under a bridge