I was also going to weigh in on the "50% taxes" stuff, but it looks like it has been addressed pretty well. That really only comes close if you are at the top tax bracket, filing single and resident of a "grab all the tax money we can" state like California or New York.

Personally, I am pretty close to the top of the pay for pilots here. And being married, having a few deductions and living in Texas, my total tax that is based on my earnings is around 20%. That is federal, SSI and Medicare together.