Well, we have now sold our CA ranch overlooking Silicon Valley after 24 years of making it a better and better home. While the home got better, the political and economic climate just kept getting worse and worse. When we moved to CA (back in '81, several homes ago), it was still a land of opportunity and a bastion of free enterprise. Startups were everywhere, and engineers came in droves to work on exciting new technologies that made a real and important difference in the world. I came to Silicon Valley to work on some of the most exciting technologies, and to participate in building companies that made cool products for happy customers.

Gradually the atmosphere changed, with more and more socialist governments at every level, and. as happens with all socialist systems, a gradual move to a more fascist environment with more and more rules and less and less tolerance for opposing views. As governments at every level continued to grow, taxes grew. But at least as important were the increases in the costs of local services, and the costs of public utilities which were forced to use "green" energy despite the substantially higher costs. "Green" businesses (like Tesla) were increasingly subsidized by ever increasing taxes. All the while the state has become less and less business-friendly.

Meanwhile respect for individual rights, respect for our constitution, and respect for our country declined, with local and state politicians and many of our representatives to the federal government taking actions and making statements that would be considered treason in almost all other countries around the world. These people preach hatred, condone violence against those who disagree with them, and seek to destroy the foundations of our Republic. These people have poisoned the atmosphere of California.

We are sad to leave our many friends here in Silicon Valley. And the food...

However, with each ending, there is a new beginning.

Our new beginning is in the high country of Arizona, where we start a new chapter in our lives. We are blessed that our daughter is moving with us, and also blessed with having found a new home that promises to continue our legacy of creating a great place to live. High on a ridge overlooking mountains and valleys, we start anew with optimism and a renewed love of the land and nature, in a place where our political views are welcome, and do not make us the enemy - love of freedom, respect for the constitution, honor for our real history, a firm belief in free enterprise and capitalism, steadfast commitment to individual rights, property rights, and the rule of law, and real love for our great country.

Eoin Treacy's view

Thank you for sharing your perspective and good luck in building a new life in Arizona.

At The Chart Seminar, we define ranges as explosions waiting to happen but I am increasingly of the belief that this conclusion is not limited to markets but is applicable to all situations where crowds are present.

The breaking of the status quo, which is represented by debt-fuelled social democracy, has resulted in support for more extreme views. That has variously led to support for both extreme dictatorial and free market solutions. That imbalance between the political belief systems has resulted in a trend of polarisation that shows no sign of ending.