You may have noticed that the American political system as it currently exists is helping reduce many of us to the status of serfs in a feudal system. Or, if you’d rather, into what sociologists Kevin Leicht and Scott Fitzgerald call “postindustrial peasants,” in debt up to our ears, from young adulthood to the grave.

The media remain oblivious to this reality except for a few dependably progressive outlets.

ThinkProgress noted today that Mitt Romney is the favorite GOP candidate of Goldman Sachs and the rest of the financial industy — big surprise, right? — and that many misleading TV ads for Mitt are from a Super PAC called Restore Our Future, which receives almost half its funding from the financial industry:

Of the $43.2 million raised by the attack PAC, $20.5 million, or 48 percent, came from finance industry donors, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by the Center for Public Integrity.

At least $13.5 million came from private equity firms ($7 million) and hedge funds ($6.5 million) while most of the rest came from investment banks and other asset managers. So-called “non-bank lenders” that run storefront cash-for-title and payday lending operations gave the super PAC $437,500, according to the analysis.

Who would have dreamed in 1962, when “Surfin’ Safari” was released, that America would one day be openly run by high-stakes gamblers and extortionists? That an emotionally stunted, compulsively lying, super-wealthy jobs destroyer — “Corporations are people, my friend” — would be a major-party candidate for president? That a significant portion of the political establishment would by openly hostile to the interests of the working class?

The takeaway from the ThinkProgress item is there’s no hope of restoring even a vestige of government for the people until we bar the rich from funding, and more-or-less anointing, candidates for high office. Which means, first of all, that Congress must scuttle the reactionary Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Which means we must back only those candidates who vow to pursue this goal.

Politicians can’t even get nominated without selling out to the rich, but once in office they sometimes can be scared into doing the right thing.

OK, that’s a fairly lame declaration, but I’m trying to cultivate a positive attitude.