Maybe a bit off topic, but every time I read a thread like this, it leaves me wondering why people in the US are so reticent to discuss actual solid numbers regarding how much money they make, but do everything to dance around real figures, even if posting anonymously. When it comes to discussing salaries, suddenly everyone becomes a politician.

I lived in Bulgaria for two years, and it was pretty common there for people to ask, straight up, "How much money do you make?" They'd seem genuinely perplexed if I didn't want to answer. Granted, Bulgaria's economic situation is pretty different than the US's, but there was something about those frank exchanges that made me wonder why we do what we do.

Any thoughts?