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Even many Republicans in Washington, D.C. are happy to tell you how challenging it will be for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to persuade politicos to accept reductions in their power and budgets. But across the country in the state of Washington, a brand-new Democratic governor seems to understand just how unpopular government bureaucracies have become. At his inauguration this week Gov. Bob Ferguson said he’s on the hunt for cost savings. While friends and foes might have expected him to offer a liberal agenda, Mr. Ferguson appears ready to embrace moderation in office. At least that’s his message, and his fellow Democrats don’t seem to like it. On
Wednesday Mr. Ferguson was sworn in as governor and offered a notable contrast with predecessor Jay Inslee, a climate activist who was among the country’s most aggressively ideological governors. Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV has a transcript of Gov. Ferguson’s inaugural address. In the following excerpt, he describes the condition of a state in which his fellow Democrat has served as governor for the last 12 years: We face real challenges as a state and as a people. Our state is unaffordable for many Washingtonians. We rank 50th — last — per capita, in number of law enforcement officers. Our ferry system is broken. We are confronted with a behavioral health crisis. Too many of our residents are unsheltered. Housing is too expensive and there’s not enough of it. Our state government is bogged down by too much bureaucracy. The new Democratic governor noted:
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