You certainly got my attention in your Oct. 23 opinion column by Andrew Villeneuve. I would hope you did your homework on Mr. Villeneuve. If you did, you’d likely have discovered that he claims to be an entrepreneur, but the Northwest Progressive Institute, of which he is the founder and possibly only member, plays up a number of Villeneuve’s accomplishments, yet doesn’t mention what business he is in.

However, if one reads in between the lines of the NWPI’s website (likely written by Villeneuve), and if one has read his guest column in your paper, it is easy to surmise that this 23-year-old is riding a pony of self-promotion and poor judgment.

The NWPI is described on the Internet as a “liberal think tank,” whatever that means, but evidently that is Mr. Villeneuve’s employment: He goes in the tank and thinks (or maybe it is the other way around).

If Mr. Villeneuve was actually an entrepreneur, his experience in business would have given him a different point of view on the initiatives of which he wrote about. Villeneuve’s immature opinions are all anti-business as well as opinions without credible substantiation. His opinion offers zero from experience, but much from juvenile speculation. Had you read his bio and recent blog of President Obama’s rally for Sen. Patty Murray, you would have reached the “opinion” that this 23-year-old “entrepreneur” has posted a resume that reads like an exaggerated job application while his blog reads like a teenager drooling over a Justin Bieber concert.

We have way too much government interfering with private industry in this country and it is future political candidates like Mr. Villeneuve that are the problem with our country’s economic crisis. How do I substantiate my opinion of too much government interference? Well, unless the government and our politicians have a plan to create government jobs for every single citizen in this country within the near future, I’d say it is time to get the government out of businesses’ way and let the economy grow. As a footnote, of course there will always be some crime surrounding business (Enron, et al) therefore some regulatory government positions are necessary. However private industry opportunities made this country’s economics the envy of the world. Super-libs such as Mr. Villeneuve, and government policies that would bring us even closer to all out socialism, will only worsen our nation’s economic crisis.

Why is our state government in the liquor business? Why is our state government in the insurance business? Why is our federal government in the auto business? Why is our federal government in the bailout (control) business? Please name me one, just one business endeavor in which the government has been successful without putting additional encumbrances on private industry and all taxpayers. This country has gone to war against oppressive governments but, interestingly enough, we ourselves have had only one revolution.

Ron Zaffino, Federal Way