Young voters can make or break elections, except they don’t register, or they register and don’t vote.

One discouraging fact is that many young progressives seem drawn to conservatives under the guise of Libertarianism. It seems to be over two positions — anti-war and pro-pot.

In reality the less government and more freedom mindset is a slippery slope … toward a lot more government. It starts with state legislators wanting to protect the right of private citizens to preserve their personal perception of philosophical purity by denying service to gay and lesbian couples. Then before you know it, we’re back to folks with yarmulkes being denied freedoms and the government (police force) there to enforce it … yeah, like getting arrested in a Starbucks for “chatting while black.”

Libertarians and conservatives like to rely on free markets to take care of things. I suppose we could have a rise in private security businesses – good ol’ non-governmental protection rackets. You will get to run around town finding which market will sell “your kind” a carton of milk. Good luck on the road while you get refused lodging or gasoline service like my elders experienced. Yeah, the good ol’ days were never so good.

I hope young progressives consider how less government fits into denying someone the right to contract with a medical practitioner for a safe procedure even in the case of rape or incest; or where less government fits into defining which consenting adults can enter the contract of marriage to gain all the benefits of insurance and survivorship. Nevertheless, I do hope young progressives register and start to vote.

Hiroshi Eto

Federal Way