SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

How do free ORCA cards and college fit in with affordability?

Feb 20, 2018, 3:46 PM | Updated: 5:29 pm

ORCA cards...

(Dyer Oxley, MyNorthwest)

(Dyer Oxley, MyNorthwest)

On Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan proudly announced that all of the city’s public high school students would get free, unlimited ORCA transit passes through her new plan. She also continued to push for two years of free college tuition for high school graduates.

Durkan’s first STOC address

“We need to make college a reality, for every Seattle public school graduate by investing in two free years of college education and support,” she said during her first State of the City address.

But how do either of those things fit in with the push to make the city more affordable? It’s going to cost millions to pay for those bus passes and make college free to students.

And what is the likelihood that students will even use free bus passes? As soon as they have their license and a car, they don’t want to ride a bus. But they’re still going to get an ORCA card. What percentage of kids will actually use them?

Also, how many of these ORCA cards will be lost and then replaced? Children don’t respect things they don’t have to earn. Will we have to create $100,000 city jobs just to keep track of all these lost ORCA cards?

Seattle is teaching children a horrible lesson: That as long as they vote Democrat, everything will be free.

Taken from Tuesday’s Dori Monson Show.

FILE - Cooling tower three with one and two in the background operate at the nuclear reactor facili...

Associated Press

As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety rule

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to eliminate a foundational safety principle that has for 50 years minimized the radiation people in the United States are exposed to and that has been adopted around the world. Currently, facilities such as nuclear plants, hospitals or academic institutions that use radioactive materials must ensure radiation exposures are […]

56 minutes ago

cool temperatures weekend...

Robert Van Winkle, Pinpoint Meteorologist

Cool temperatures continue; showers expected to close the weekend

Cool weather will continue for another day this weekend as an area of low pressure continues to spin off the coast, delivering clouds.

56 minutes ago

wa millionaires' tax...

John Curley Show

‘They are leaving’: Curley rips lawmakers behind millionaires’ tax, says the rich don’t trust WA government

KIRO host John Curley argued that lawmakers in Olympia are deluding themselves if they think the millionaires' tax will solve the budget.

2 hours ago

jimothy votes...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘An adorable, cautionary tale’: Jake and Spike weigh in after WA voter writes in Jimothy for every race on their ballot

KIRO hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill found the ballot amusing, but warned that Jimothy's fame could follow a familiar rise-and-fall trajectory.

2 hours ago

Jimothy (1) seattle raccoon ballard...

Luke Duecy

The Spin: Jimothy goes viral as brands jump in — how corporate ‘newsjacking’ turns attention into marketing

Jimothy the raccoon has become one of the internet's biggest viral stars, and now major brands are racing to join the conversation.

2 hours ago

Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday, July 18, 2026, in St. Lou...

Associated Press

Cori Bush and Wesley Bell’s rematch sets up key test for Democrats in Missouri

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Gripping a microphone outside the courthouse where the infamous Dred Scott case over slavery was argued in 1847, former Rep. Cori Bush portrayed her ouster from Congress as another historic setback set to be reversed. “We’re standing here saying, send back that descendant, send her back to the place that enslaved […]

2 hours ago

How do free ORCA cards and college fit in with affordability?