America, capitalism, and the immigrant

In my native Senegal, given that only 50 percent of the population is literate, going to school is a privilege. For most Senegalese youngsters, attending school is a great opportunity to travel outside of the country and go study in the West in search of a better life. Despite my teenage dream that I was going to end up in France, given the colonial history of Senegal I ended up at a United World College in Italy, then in America.

The perception folks back in Senegal have of America is that it’s like a big pie and anyone can have a big and tasty bite of it. When I set foot in the United States, I had that belief in mind too. Later on, I decided that I was going to be an economics major (with a concentration in finance and statistics) because that was one great way of being part of the whole “American Dream” – I have always dreamed of working on Wall Street. Soon after that, I came to the conclusion that I did not like taxes and that the size of the government should be kept to a minimal size so that the rights of citizens would not be threatened. And so I chose the Grand Old Party.

When I came to America, I immediately wanted to be part of it. I wanted to benefit from capitalism and the Republican ideology is centered on the free market and fiscal conservatism. Also, Republicans have a great sense of patriotism (not that democrats don’t), and that appealed to me. I spent my teen years studying abroad and so my sense of patriotism is, to a certain degree, similar to that of a 15 year old. I have never voted in my life (I don’t even know what it is like to vote, and I doubt I ever will) and this, in part, explained my lack of attachment to any ideology prior to coming to the United States. I guess this outlook is characteristic of first generation immigrants. In my case and the case of many, the notion of home is rather complicated to explain. First generation immigrants cherish the idea of the American Dream more than anyone. They want to build something both financial and intellectual.

Some still don’t understand my political as well as ideological choices; they don’t understand why I affiliate myself with the Republican Party. I claim to be a conservative at a college that is home to perhaps one of the most liberal student populations in the nation. And I have no problem with that. It has actually helped me tremendously. I love having my ideas and beliefs challenged: that’s what should happen when one goes to college. I have come to appreciate views from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum and I believe I am better for it.

As some will point out, Republicans are rather strict and harsh when it comes to immigration, and some will even go so far as to say that Republicans are somewhat xenophobic. I guess they are sometimes right. The one thing, though, that people forget about is the difference between legal and illegal immigration. Immigration, as long as it is legal, is within the confines of the law.

I lived for some time in a third world country and, I think in most third world countries, democracy is still under construction. Individuals with dissenting opinions are often persecuted, jailed, or killed -- there’s no such thing as freedom of speech. I find certain people’s claim that democracy isn’t really working in the United States outrageous. Try living in North Korea instead. I chose to come to America partly because it’s a free country.

I have always had an intense interest in entrepreneurship. I always wanted (and still do) to come up with something unique that would improve people’s lives and to get rewards for it in the process. Capitalism rewards innovation. If there’s one thing that is absolutely true about capitalism it is that it has been the only economic system that has survived over the centuries; even China has come to mix its communistic regime with some capitalistic doses. Capitalism has outlived all other systems that tried to replace it and there sure is a reason for that. And so why should the party end?