A country that relies on aid? Death is better than that. It stops you from achieving your potential, just as colonialism did.
I don't know how anyone could vote Republican. It's so obvious that their only interest is keeping the rich rich.
Basically you come up with the fictional idea and you start writing that story, but then in order to write it and to make it seem real, you sometimes put your own memories in. Even if it's a character that's very different from you.