2023-07-04

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans out there. As the
1st son of immigrants to this country, it's always interesting for
me to reflect on America.

For many immigrants, America truly was the promised land. My parents
left Asia with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs.
I have a picture of my dad taken when he came to America with all
of his belongings. He literally had one suit and a small hard-sided
70s luggage the size of a large briefcase.

He started working in Chinese restaurants as a waiter for years
while he was in college. He eventually got an accounting degree,
married, and moved to Texas where he had me and my sister.

He toiled for years and bought a house and raised his kids. Both
me and my sister grew up in middle-class America. We became engineers
and lead successful lives with retirement plans, vacations, and
homes and all the trappings of living in the upper-middle class.

My dad worked hard all of his life, there is no discounting that.
But he also fervently believes that he could have never seen the
success he did without America. And you will find this same story
repeated across all of his cohort of immigrants no matter where
they came from. His generation's immigrant success story was repeated
countless times across America.

But the most important question today is: Does my dad's America
still exist today?

I still think it does...for now.

As an american, I think America is great of course. Maybe even the
greatest country in the short history that makes up human civilization.

However..., He Who Must Not Be Named did great things – terrible,
yes, but great.