Source: Originally published by Z. Feel free to share widely.

Well, the propaganda they sell us like soda water is that ‘ We are a free country and everyone has the opportunities to succeed in life.’ Ok, and since we are immersed as a nation in the quicksand of non unionism ( less than 7 % of private sector workers are in unions) many working stiffs have become 21st Century Indentured Servants. In feudal times the indentured servant had to work for the boss just to stay above water financially. You lose a week or two of work due to illness and you’re up the creek. Gone!

Let’s take one example this writer found by chance today. This is what it means to be an indentured servant on the  250th anniversary of America: The retail clerk with a broken wrist. I will call her ‘ Ms T ‘ working for her 15th year at the place earning $10.50 per hour with no benefits etc. She said she fell at home, the one she rents for her family at $1800 a month in town. Had to rush to the ER, has NO insurance ( she said even ObamaCare wanted $ 300 a month with a one year wait for real coverage. Between the ER and then being admitted as a patient they charged her $20k, with her wrist surgery costing $50k ( believe it or not). Obviously she asked for some charity from the hospital and surgeon’s billing, and they will be getting back to her with an answer. The woman is 59 and to put it bluntly ‘ Up the creek!’ Is this what our founding fathers anticipated or is this simply the way it always was and is?

Imagine if that store clerk belonged to a union and had the same Medicare that I have. She would still owe money, and without a supplemental plan, at least 20% of said bills would be her concern. Is this what we should be celebrating on July 4th? You can take all the fireworks and hot dogs and burgers and stuff em until those in power act like working stiffs and not the indentured servants of the super rich! As my late great union organizing  pal Walt DeYoung put it : ‘Nuff Said’.


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Philip A Farruggio is a free lance columnist, host of a radio interview show and lifelong Anti War Activist. He is son and grandson of Brooklyn, NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, Class of '74. He has a blog on the itstheempirestupid.com website produced by Chuck Gregory. You can find Philip's work on many sites such as Countercurrents, Dissident Voice, Nation of Change and Muck Rack.

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  1. The GREAT George Carlin many years ago aptly summarized and echoes Mr.Farruggio’s comments here-“It’ s a very small party ….and you and I aren’t invited”!

  2. The GREAT George Carlin aptly summarized years ago what Mr Farruggio describes-“It’s a very small party….and you and I are not invited”! ….Nuff said.

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