...Dust

Dr. Schuttman's Prisoners

The prisons were the first to go. We couldn't afford them.

More like the New Confederacy couldn't afford more corporate billions leaving the country.

The violent criminals were executed. They were a drain on resources. Why pay to sustain them when hard-working people were homeless?

The non-violent became slaves of the state. They labored for pennies a day until the prisons were closed for good.

Then... Les Gris

The Grey Ones.

Les Gris were those who were sentenced to labor alone at night. Their duty to society was to pay the taxes. The only thing worse than being Les Gris is being Les Gris with no job. You may as well kill yourself if that happens.

How to get people to suffer through labor?

This was probably one of the few times that the New Confederacy decided anything based on science.

The science behind the New Confederacy's brilliant tax plan was a group of organizational psychologists headed by a Doctor Robert Schuttman. His picture is always proudly displayed in history books. Dr. Schuttman, Secretary of Labor, the caption always reads proudly, along with a boast that he revolutionized the way the New Confederacy was funded by creating a new working class of people who were responsible for the taxes. His brilliant idea to literally work people to death and become the way that the state coffers never ran dry and the way to make sure the dirty work was always done.

He found the way to present the façade of the perfect, tax-free haven.

If only he had followed Florida's model! Instead, his was a twisted trompe l'œil that looked great on paper, looked great in propaganda, but disguised a festering wound.

Dr. Schuttman's country was portrayed as a land of happy, healthy conformists working the lovely jobs during the day, living their tax-free lives with nary a care in the world. Even the most menial of laborers look happy. Hide all the people who don't fit in.

Better yet, make them pay the taxes.

"Hide them away and make them pay!" was the battle cry sent from the Department of Labor. The people answered with a fanaticism that rivaled that of any religion. Those who fit in had nothing to worry about. The uncertainty of those who did not fit in was palpable.

Dr. Schuttman was a genius of organizational labor. He made it easier for employers to make people work harder. Dr. Schuttman took the findings of organizational psychology and made it work for the New Confederacy.

What type of work was the most socially-isolating, mentally draining, and caused the worst physical effects?

Shift work.

Findings showed that people worked through the overnight hours were the unhealthiest mentally and physically. Studies showed many were too tired to care.

Dr. Schuttman decided that making people work through the overnight hours was the perfect punishment.

Why imprison them when you could do almost the same thing by forcing them to work away from everyone else? Even better, instead of having society contribute the tax dollars pay for the upkeep of the prisoners... have the new type of prisoners pay for the upkeep of the society.

He was a demented man.

A demented man who made a demented society work.

He was credited with Les Gris and Les Boîtes.