Do you have any proof? I don't trust HN comments to talk about other countries vacation days, since I see too many people here say Americans get no vacation days, yet every company I've worked at in the USA offered 15-20 days.
Then you've been very fortunate. This is not representative of many people - ask anyone working in a restaurant or retail how much paid vacation they get.
Unlike many countries, in the USA the legal minimum is zero.
plus this is HN, so "every company I've ever worked for" is almost certainly a white collar STEM gig -- which ain't 90% of the country.
High pressure not to take it? I doubt you can say that with any level of confidence.
These are both also untrue based on my experience.