No Government "Reset" from the Recession?

Not according to Austin Jenkins in this Crosscut analysis. Jenkins, who covers Olympia for public radio, scans the landscape and sees an opportunity lost.

...it seems not only unlikely but downright improbable that majority Democrats in Washington will seize this economic crisis to radically overhaul state government. In my mind, the big three elephants in the room are: tax reform, privatization, and program elimination.

He takes a brief look at each, concluding that we're running out of time.

If we’re to believe economists, the recession has bottomed out. So while the crisis is not over, the opportunity to seize the moment is disappearing: Next year, again, is an election year. All House members and about half the Senate are up for election. It’s a short session, just 60 days. The political risks are too great and time is too short to do radical surgery on government institutions.

By 2011 the state will still be in financial trouble, but it seems likely the “carpe diem” opportunity for bold change will have passed.

It need not.