Coolidge’s lesson for new officials

A quote from Calvin Coolidge offers a check on power for the incoming Washington state officials.

The former president wrote in his 1929 autobiography that a leader must know he is not indispensable. He warned that when a man feels he is the only one who can lead, he betrays the spirit of the institutions. This warning applies to presidents, governors, and local officials alike. It reminds them that authority is delegated by citizens for a specific time under limits they set.

In Washington, unofficial election results show Democrats will retain both chambers of the state legislature. With Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson in the executive branch, one party will again control the state budget. On March 30, 2026, Ferguson signed the millionaires’ income tax into law. He has promised to veto any measure that sets a lower income threshold for the tax. After the recent election, he discussed the possibility of lawmakers overriding a veto. He stated that they would never do that to him.

That comment reveals a habit of assuming personal standing protects a leader. Coolidge argued that the office is larger than the officeholder. The Constitution is larger than both. He believed that humility in office belongs together with confidence in ordinary Americans. Government has a limited job to serve free citizens, not to manage them. The genius of America lives in families, neighbors, and small business owners who build communities without waiting for permission.

This principle also applied to a federal ruling in 2026. On Feb. 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that an emergency law did not authorize sweeping import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in 2025. The ruling did not invalidate every presidential trade power. It did reaffirm that the power to tax belongs to Congress. An emergency declaration is not a blank check for a leader to act without limits.

Local voters also weighed in on income taxes in the Nov. 5 election. Initiative 645 sought to repeal Washington’s 9.9% tax on individual income above $1 million and to prohibit income-based taxes. In Snohomish County’s unofficial returns, that repeal was failing. This leaves the current income tax intact. The official certification for these results is set for Nov. 24. This result does not mean voters rejected a new tax. It does mean that temporary majorities still answer to the people who lent them authority.

The duty of public service does not change with the title. Whether the leader is a president, a governor, or a city official, the commission is temporary. No official is wise enough to go unchecked. The system relies on enforceable limits rather than assurances from whoever holds the chair. Citizens remain in charge after the election signs come down.