What Is an American Serf?

As all things are wont to go, the American dream and its inherent pomposity and hubris will surely come to ruin. It may not happen in a day or a year, or even a decade. The moment that we can call "the turning point" will only be seen from the eyes of historians, so it is folly to expect a blazing signpost somewhere that announces the end of this imperium as we know it. The change will come unnoticed, if it hasn't already done so. The mighty will fall. The meek will inherit the ruins.

But what of the common man? The basics of existence will still be the same. Food, shelter from the storm, and companionship will all be necessary ingredients for life. What we, the common majority, normally do shall -- in spirit -- continue to be done. What will change is the boss.

We sometimes joke about our indentured servitude to a company or business, but rarely ever consider what future slavery will be like. Humor me, then, while I paint a picture of what may soon come to pass.

The wealthy elite will continue to get wealthier. In order to hold onto their wealth, and the fanciful prospects of increasing wealth, the elite will need to pull more and more from everyone else.

Right now, we American commoners are taxed quite a bit, and realistically without representation. After all, it is your money which is taken by the government, placed in large coffers, and then distributed to all the various places where the elite deems. Some is used for education, research, and other noble ends. The money issued to these items, however, is dwarfed by the unbelievable amounts that are spent on state-sponsored murder. Or, "war" if you will. And if you really think that you are properly represented when your money is spent on death, then you are most likely the reincarnation of Jack the Ripper.

Wars will continue. The elite need the things which others have or live around. And, instead of pursuing a measured peaceful course of action, the way chosen is ultimately the most destructive. The elite cares for itself and that is all. In America, the commoners will continue to lose ground in real income and will increasingly drop off the employment map.

America's debt to the world will grow. This will be mainly due to the import/export imbalance. The American commoner will increasingly find it difficult to gain employment outside of the food or retail industries. The less America exports, the less it needs to create exports, and the fewer workers it needs for creating these exports.

Health packages in the workplace will continue to rise in costs. As the elite strips more from us, the more we must pay to keep ourselves alive. With more people clamoring for work, the elite can demand more out of its workforce. Pay increases will become pay cuts. Bonuses will become letters of appreciation. Working hours will grow.

The workforce will become indentured. Already, there are laws in place to protect the elite from any recriminations from an unemployed work force. Businesses can fire their employees for any reason, including no reason at all. No advance warning is legally required. The only real law set in place for the employee is the Minimum Wage Law. And then, businesses like Walmart have discovered crafty ways around this stipulation by making sure people work fewer hours than what is considered full time.

Dissension will be silenced. If history has anything lto teach us, one thing should be noted: Governments with absolute power cannot tolerate criticism. Do you not see how America is becoming a state of repression? Even this screed will one day be cause enough for my "disappearing". We currently have a clownish version of this on national television. It's called Fox News. We even have a group of people who toss around charges of anti-semitism like candy to Halloween trick-or-treaters. Just say "Israel probably shouldn't be so mean to the Palestinians," and you'll get slapped with the label quicker than you can say "USS Liberty".


The common man will become a slave to unfair work policies, outrageous health costs, and the whims of the corporate run government. In effect, we will be serfs. Our lords will hold us on the edge of poverty while we spend a disproportionate amount of time working so we can at least eat.