Interesting post. It is baffling to see what a small country can do for its citizens' quality of life as opposed to a giant mess like the EU. If Switzerland is not the perfect example that a country doesn't need to be big to succeed I don't know what is. The perfect counter-example to the inefficiency of the EU.

Economically, you would still get a better deal in Silicon valley. Rent/Cost of living might be comparable, but salary would be higher for sure.

That was a good read. Does anyone know how these things compare in the Scandinavian countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland?