This message would be expected from a group that called George W. Bush a socialist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reason_(magazine)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reason_Foundation

This documentary is very interesting and appropriate for examining a myriad of problems which are currently building up in North America and other western, civilized countries. The gear box is a very powerful application of Newtonian physics. Philosophically, the gear system embodies the principles and belief that our governing systems are logically deterministic. Unfortunately, humans are far from logical unlike machines.  Our current education machine has some statistical quality control issues that are known by the operators but thus far have not been adjusted to fit reality very well. The one thing we are sure is that the machine needs to be fueled and oiled so that it won’t stop.
 
World finance is not much different. A quick look at the almost bankrupt Europe tells a similar tale.  One could quickly whip up some interesting machine diagrams to detail exactly how things are functioning/or not in the government banking/finance realms as well. I am sure these diagrams would be similarly enlightening and probably shocking.

Look at another slice of the picture, closer to home, public sector pension funds. One sees huge concentrated financial machines that exert substantial leverage on the public markets to insure they can keep paying the monthly pensions of their ever longer living members.  How many folks have lost their jobs so that the efficiencies required to pay the dividends to the pension funds could be extracted? How many pensions funds have any kind of moral compass besides the quarterly dividend and /or return on investment? How many public servants know or could care less how many people lose jobs to pay their monthly pensions in the restructurings required to achieve the efficiencies?  I am sure that the data exists from which these number could readily be extracted. What is the point ?  The pension system is another machine operating in its own narrow and deterministic way with no moral compass.

One could illustrate dozens of examples of these “societal systems” machines that are grinding on with specific mechanical/financial specifications to meet. What is clear is that sooner rather than later the snake will be consuming its tail.  There is no doubt of the high academic qualifications, intelligence and skill that is required to write the algorithms which drive a substantial portion of stock market trading everyday. It has been suggested that Wall Street could be one of the largest employers of physicists these days. Most of whom are you guessed it writing algorithms for stock trading.

Is there a problem with unions and their dues payers ?  Very likely!  Education is how human beings have evolved formally and informally. Any set back in educating people will ultimately send us backwards in time.  The unexpected results of the Perry Project may be a huge glimmer of light that has been missed by most.  The turbulence and instability we are experiencing is tiny compared to what will come if we do not grapple with these problems today and find constructive solutions.  These days, I find Bruce Lipton’s book, “Spontaneous Evolution”  to offer some excellent, positive insights and encourage those inclined toward optimism to have a look at:  http://www.brucelipton.com/spontaneous-evolution-overview/