I'm 20, I'm in college (a typical liberal UC, by the way), I'm Asian-American, I'm from San Francisco, and yes, I'm a Republican.

I wasn't always a Republican of course. Born and raised in San Francisco into an immigrant family with no understanding of American government, let alone politics, it would be natural that I would claim msyelf to be a Democrat when I was younger and dumber. I knew little to nothing about politics, government or the economy; but there something was something about being in San Francisco that being a Democrat was the "right thing to do." The Republicans were evil. They were unheard of in the city. They were the "others": foreign and despicable. I remember cheering for Al Gore when I had no idea what positions on issues he even stood for - I didn't even know there were positions to stand for; for all I knew, Democrats were good and Republicans were bad.

Flash forward a few years and I have become a bit older and a bit wiser. By the time I was applying for colleges, I was already a right-leaning moderate. Through my strong passion for history, I have learned a lot about my government - about how and what it was founded upon and the principles that made America great. I believed in a limited government. I looked back at history and I believed that individual liberties and freedom should never be sacrificed for the collective good. I looked at my own moral compass and I believed that no one should ever take money from one person to give to another, even if the former make more than the latter. I looked at my own ancestral nation's (China's) modern history and built a strong sense of hatred and anger against communism and socialism. I looked at South Korea then North Korea, Taiwan then Cuba, and became a firm believer in capitalism. I believed in a lot that the Republican party had to offer.

Well, I remember that when I was applying for colleges, as an Asian American, I was severely "punished" because of my ethnicity. Other students had a huge advantage on me in college applications simply because of their skin color and thus "minority status." "The hell? I thought I was a minority." I thought to myself. Nope, my race was "too over-represented" in college. It was affirmative action - the liberal's answer to "past racism." Bullshit, absolute bullshit, I thought. Fast forward just a bit more and now it's time to apply for financial aid and eventually pay for college. I get nothing. Not even a penny from the government. Left and right I see my friends getting a complete ride or thousands a quarter from the government to spend as they wish - televisions, payments for cars, etc. Now believe me, I don't come from an extremely wealthy family. Yes, we're well off, but that is only because my dad slaves away 12+ hours a day as a mechanic and owner of the garage. The money comes from hard work and believe me, it is HARD work. Not even a penny... Bullshit, absolute bullshit, I thought. By now, I'm a Republican, not a moderate, not a right-leaning moderate; I'm a Republican.