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.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

yakima orchard lays off...

Frank Sumrall

125-year-old Yakima orchard company lays off more than 500 workers

Gilbert Orchards, a family-owned and operated agricultural company based in the Yakima Valley, is laying off 518 employees beginning Nov. 22.

3 minutes ago

FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 202...

Associated Press

ICE officer lied about shovel and broom attack before Minnesota shooting, Justice Department alleges

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer falsely told investigators he was being attacked with a broom and shovel before he shot and wounded a Venezuelan man during the Minnesota immigration crackdown last winter, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday. Christian Castro is charged with six counts of making false […]

44 minutes ago

cocktail bar pioneer square seattle...

MyNorthwest Staff

Award-winning New York cocktail bar arrives in Seattle’s Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square has a new destination for craft cocktails after Death & Co. officially opened its first Seattle bar Thursday.

59 minutes ago

A Tesla Cybercab moves through downtown Austin, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)...

Associated Press

Feds open probe into Musk’s steering-wheel-free taxis a day after he began offering rides in them

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal regulators are opening an investigation into whether Tesla’s new steering-wheel-free taxis comply with safety rules a day after the company began offering rides in the vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was looking into whether Tesla was in full compliance with federal rules in deploying so-called Cybercabs […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

US issues sanctions on Turkish bank that it calls a ‘critical financial lifeline’ for Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury announced Friday it has imposed sanctions on a Turkish financial institution as part of its latest effort to sever “critical financial lifelines” for the Iranian government. The actions against Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi come nearly a week after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” as […]

1 hour ago

wildland firefighter...

Charlie Harger

Harger: Washington’s wildland firefighters deserve year-round jobs. Congress could make it happen

My brother spent years as a volunteer firefighter. My brother-in-law has been a professional firefighter for a long time. Then there's a special breed within that world. The wildland firefighter.

2 hours ago

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