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.

Edmonds stolen gun...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Seattle man arrested with stolen gun after fleeing Edmonds police, department says

A 19-year-old Seattle man was arrested after running from a traffic stop in Edmonds early Thursday morning, according to police.

9 minutes ago

FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses anti-abortion activists at a rally outside the S...

Associated Press

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has finalized his divorce, lawyer says, ending 38-year marriage

AUSTIN (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has finalized his divorce from his wife, Angela, one of his lawyers said Thursday. It comes nearly a week after Paxton, a Republican, lost his U.S. Senate race by double digits to Democrat James Talarico in one of the most expensive contests of the midterm elections that […]

11 minutes ago

shooting...

James Lynch

Seattle police looking for gunman after Rainier Valley shooting

Seattle police are searching for a gunman following a shooting Thursday afternoon in Rainier Valley.

34 minutes ago

FILE - The Binance logo is seen on a smartphone, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP Photo/M...

Associated Press

FBI says US has seized $1.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen from Binance

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said Thursday that it had seized more than $1.2 billion of cryptocurrency reported stolen last month from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. The theft of about $6.3 billion from Binance is regarded as the biggest crypto heist in history, and the FBI has previously attributed it to a North […]

43 minutes ago

FILE - A U.S. Navy uniform is pictured, Aug. 13, 2026, in Makati city Metro Manila, Philippines. (A...

Associated Press

Navy has quietly fired some commanders and other officials, drawing congressional pushback

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy has quietly fired or removed several top officers in recent months but broke with its usual practice of announcing those changes, drawing pushback from Congress. Two Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that the Navy failed to inform Congress that it fired the entire leadership team of a nuclear-powered attack submarine last […]

49 minutes ago

This image released by Heritage Auctions shows a lightsaber used by the character Darth Vader in th...

Associated Press

Darth Vader’s light saber used in ‘I am your father’ duel sells for nearly $5 million

A light saber used by Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” movies “The Empire Strikes Back” and ”Return of the Jedi” sold Thursday for nearly $5 million in an auction. The light saber, which was used in the climactic duel in Cloud City where Vader tells Luke Skywalker “I am your father,” sold for $4.875 […]

1 hour ago

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