Wait, some PhD candidates are being paid near minimum wage and are still paying their university to do work for their university?

That just sounds like indentured servitude with extra steps.

Yes, I suppose you could try to justify it as "this is the price you pay for having the freedom to build your own research plan in the future" ("maximizing your future freedom") but in reality, this just sets you up for more of the same- getting a faculty position (pre-tenure) with a low salary, and immense pressure to bring in funds via research grants/publish papers.

I eventually tired of the process and moved to industry because the struggle wasn't worth it.