You forgot the first step - people build the infrastructure.
Then - people make the country.
Re: “If this family wanted to do anything for the country they would need to fight the corruption, fight the class, tribal stratification and work with the close to non-existent infrastructure.”
Yes. I agree.
Re: “Californians”
Once again, I agree. But you missed the obvious point.
When disgruntled Californians move to Portland, OR (where I used to live) and Seattle (where I live now), they go to the polls and elect the exact same kind of candidates who destroyed California in the first place!
Basic Political Reality - new immigrant citizens vote 80% for the Democrat Party.
If the GOP loses the House and/or Senate in 2018, or if Trump is defeated in 2020, it will be because of high voter turn out by foreign born citizens.
Re: “In contrast there are lots of non-productive, ungrateful people whose ancestors came to the US 200 years ago and they're white.”
My point was that the three daughters most likely received their Ivy League scholarships because of their skin color.
If they had test scores that exceeded Asian or White test scores, you can be certain that the New York Times would have boasted about that.
Also, in case you don't know, elite American universities fill a significant percentage of their ethnic quotas by accepting foreign Black and Hispanic students who have higher test scores than American Black and Hispanic students.
from my interaction with various immigrants, the reason for that is that the media portrays Republicans as racist folks who want even legal immigrants out.
My point was that the three daughters most likely received their Ivy League scholarships because of their skin color. -- possible.