system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why are salaries in academia in the US so (comparatively) low?

US salaries are higher than those in other developed countries for most skilled professions across the board, but the same doesn't hold true for academia, where salaries are comparable to those of "poorer" countries such as Germany. Especially PHD students are treated like, well, garbage compared to places such as Western Europe, where they work far less (or, better said, far more reasonable hours) for far better compensations. And the career prospects don't seem that different as well - you might make a lot of money if you are a genius and end up in a top position in the US for sure, but for the average Joe entering into that path seems generally just as hard as it is in Europe. Given that US universities generally have more money than their European counterparts it's weird that their employees aren't paid better as well. 

Why is that, in your opinion?
gpt
Not a function of universities having money or not. It’s a function of demand and supply. There are too many PhD candidates competing for a limited number of positions. Too many. 

In Europe salaries are regulated by governments and laws. (Actually the entire high education system). In the US it is private.