When an Entrepreneur Goes to Washington

It's invaluable for our country's long-term prosperity to have an entrepreneur go Washington occasionally, expose the rampant waste and abuse, and challenge bureaucrats to improve their operations.

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Photo by Quick PS on Unsplash

Meet Magatte Wade, an immigrant from Senegal who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, a successful author, entrepreneur, and an advocate for promoting prosperity in Africa through free market economics.

Wade was recently invited to testify at the U.S. Congress’ Judicial Committee hearing about the impact of government regulations on small businesses. Before she began her opening statement, Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) took the opportunity to criticize Elon Musk, which had nothing to do with the hearing’s stated objective.

From my experience watching congressional hearings, it’s clear that many politicians exploit these platforms as stages for political theatrics, more focused on pushing their agendas than genuinely engaging with the issues that matter.

Despite this, Ms. Wade stood her ground, unapologetically delivering her message. I strongly encourage you to watch a portion of her opening statement.

Ms. Wade called out Rep. Raskin and told him:

“Mr. Raskin, your words earlier really worry me, and I will tell you why. When you say we are here to talk about Elon Musk and all the ‘unconstitutional’ things he’s doing. And you said we shouldn’t be here to talk about regulations or anything like that. First, I want to know. Why did you have me here? As an entrepreneur, my time is valuable. I came here because I thought we were going to talk about the regulatory state and why it matters. So, you need to make up your mind on that."

Later in her remarks, Wade issued this warning:

"Overregulation to ordinary people means death…My continent, Africa, is the poorest region in the world today because it happens to be the most over-regulated region in the world. So, if you don't see the value of less regulations... wait until this country becomes like most African countries.”

As an immigrant and entrepreneur, I share a deep connection with Ms. Wade’s experiences. We both hail from backgrounds where individual freedom was stifled by excessive laws and regulations, among other things. Our journeys led us to America, where the free market empowers us to shape our futures according to our aspirations.

For entrepreneurs, time is not merely a resource; it is our most invaluable asset. We cannot afford to waste it on unproductive activities. We only leave our work to engage with Washington when an issue carries such personal or professional weight that we recognize the imperative to advocate for it in front of our nation’s leaders.