Two of my three sisters were born there as well, though they were still very young when they came to America. In Vietnam, my parents experienced firsthand the horrors of war and the clash of ideologies. The stories they have told me remain with me, as they remain with my other siblings. We learned how our parents came to the United States to seek a better life. They wanted to live in a place where their children – the three of us – did not have to fear for their lives; a land where all could be educated, and find good jobs. It is my family"s history that causes me to place a very great emphasis on a government that helps its people, and does not exploit them. It is very important to me, too, that the government protect my rights and my freedoms, as well as my property and my life. .

             From a very early age, I was attracted to the Democratic Party and the values that it represents. In part, this derives from a feeling of family loyalty. Being Asian, my parents emphasized the necessity of strong family ties; of family loyalty and coherence. The Vietnamese people, like other Asian people, hold in high regard the traditions of their people, and the beliefs of their ancestors. My parents felt a debt of gratitude to the Democrats, as they were the party of President Jimmy Carter. It was he who paved the way for my family – and thousands of other Vietnamese families like ours – to come to America. My father and mother always spoke of President Carter in the most glowing of terms. They did not know all that much about him when they first came here, but they knew that, ultimately, he was the man who was responsible for us having our freedom, our safety, and even our first small apartment in Texas. All of these things were because of Mr. Carter, and so my parents taught my sisters and me to respect him, and to believe in the party to which he belonged. .

             Of course, there were many other influences on my personal political development.