I suspect Silicon Valley -- the place -- has already lost. The cost of living there is so high -- a million dollars for a starter house -- that operating there

I suspect Silicon Valley -- the place -- has already lost. The cost of living there is so high -- a million dollars for a starter house -- that operating there is unthinkable without big money and big success. And guess who has the biggest money of all? The government. They don't even have to earn it. They can tax it (or print it) to their hearts' content. With a cost of living so high, only big money talks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_handcuffs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_handcuffs Last time I was in SV, I was driving around and thinking "wow, this place might well be the world's only six-figure slum." It's a place where earning what would be a fantastic wage in most places will get you something that people in other places would call a "crack shack." With a set-up like that, the golden handcuffs look mighty shiny and appealing. If SV gets too "uppity," they just have to come in and spread some more money around. The price of real estate hyperinflates a little more, and the handcuffs get tightened a couple clicks. Real estate hyperinflation and debt indenture are such effective traps for controlling a population, it's hard for me to believe they weren't explicitly designed. The real genius of golden handcuffs is that they look like wealth and they make you feel rich. Wow! I'm making so much money! My house is worth so much! But in reality you're an absolute slave to whomever is writing you those big checks. You don't dare deviate even a little, or even say anything out of line, for fear of losing it all. The truly rich and powerful have the freedom to act. If you don't have that, you are poor. But Silicon Valley is also an idea. You can go there even if you're in Podunkistan, Arkansas. The only way Silicon Valley -- the idea -- can win is if it "goes airborne."