SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Why didn’t Inslee try to ‘fix’ homelessness in the last 7 years?

Jan 15, 2020, 4:12 PM

homelessness, woodland park, homeless, prolific offenders...

A homeless camp near a ball field at Seattle's Woodland Park. (Courtesy photo)

(Courtesy photo)

It’s pretty remarkable to hear someone who has been a complete failure on one of the issues people seem to care about most in this state — homelessness and all of the filth, drugs, vagrancy and crime that comes with it — now say that he is going to solve that very issue.

Jay Inslee, in his State of the State speech, said that he wants to take money from the state’s Rainy Day Fund and use it to “fix” homelessness.

Translation: he wants to give that money to the homeless-industrial complex, the so-called effort to fix homelessness that actually just creates high-paying jobs for connected bureaucrats, “nonprofit” executives, and developers whose jobs would disappear if homelessness were truly solved.

How long has Jay Inslee been governor? It has been almost eight years. What happened in those eight years? Homelessness has gotten dramatically worse under his watch. Property crime has skyrocketed. We seem to have more shootings than ever.

Dori: Inslee’s homelessness plan will expand bureaucracy, not help people

Now Jay Inslee says that if he can just get his hands on more money, he’ll fix homelessness starting this year. Why didn’t you start fixing homelessness last year, Jay Inslee? Was it because you were so busy running for president? You’ve been governor for eight years, and you’ve done absolutely nothing productive on this issue. How can you stand up there and say that this year will be the year we get it done?

As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. He’s been fooling us for seven years now. Are you going to take this nonsense for an eighth year from the governor?

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Pedestrians walk on the campus at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP P...

Associated Press

Cornell president calls alleged gang rape ‘deeply disturbing,’ pledges greater transparency

Cornell’s president called the alleged gang rape of a student at a fraternity house in 2024 “deeply disturbing” Saturday and said it would weigh on the university for years to come, as he pledged greater transparency amid mounting outrage over the school’s handling of the case. In an eight-minute video message to the Cornell community, […]

8 hours ago

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Nolo ...

Associated Press

Nolo becomes a Category 3 Hurricane in the remote Pacific Ocean

Nolo strengthened into a major hurricane Saturday far out in the Pacific Ocean, well to the west of Hawaii’s main islands. The storm’s maximum sustained winds rapidly intensified to 115 mph (185 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported, meaning it was a Category 3 hurricane. Nolo was located about 210 miles (335 kilometers) south-southwest […]

8 hours ago

President Donald Trump gestures to reporters as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the ...

Associated Press

Trump announces $90 payments for seniors on Medicare ahead of midterm elections for premium costs

President Donald Trump is promising more payments to voters just ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections — this time, to more than 20 million seniors, giving them $90 each to help pay for Medicare premiums. The announcement, made late Friday night by Trump on social media, comes after the president last month said about […]

9 hours ago

The location of the Vertical Evacuation Tower will be near the Westport Marina. It will be the thir...

Tom Brock

Rising above the risk: Westport breaks ground on Washington’s newest tsunami refuge

The city of Westport broke ground Saturday on what will become Washington state's latest tsunami-safe location: a new vertical evacuation tower.

10 hours ago

FILE - President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, speaks while holding up a signed ...

Associated Press

Trump rallies in Ohio to boost Jon Husted in a tight Senate race against Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a few days campaigning in safe conservative territory, President Donald Trump on Saturday takes his midterm tour into Ohio, a battleground state that’s home to one of the top-tier Senate races this cycle. Trump has embarked on what he says will be a 32-day blitz ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, […]

10 hours ago

FILE - Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during a n...

Associated Press

Mormon leader decries explosion in sports gambling, prediction markets

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints warned Saturday that an explosion in gambling driven by online prediction markets and sports betting is fostering greed, particularly among youths, while producing “nothing of value.” D. Todd Christofferson, one of the top three leaders of what is known […]

11 hours ago

Dori: Why didn’t Inslee try to ‘fix’ homelessness in the last 7 years?