The Washington State House kicks off the biennial budget battle this week, and if you’re young, old, sick, poor, or of color, prepare to be fucked.

The budget wasn’t out when The Stranger went to press, but sources in Olympia gave us a preview:

The bulk of state cuts will once again come from social services and education, because that’s where the bulk of discretionary spending is—and with a $5.1 billion budget gap to close, it’s gonna hurt. And bad.

First: 1,500 classroom teachers statewide—58 right here in Seattle? Gone… cut… kaput. Saving up for college? A third straight year of double-digit tuition hikes won’t keep pace with double-digit funding reductions, resulting in a 3 to 5 percent net cut in state college and university budgets. “Students will be paying more and getting less,” laments state representative Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle).

And then there’s Basic Health, Washington’s beleagured public option for those who can’t afford anything else. There’s some hope that it might not be totally shut down, if only to preserve some federal matching funds. But either way, tens of thousands of kids are about to be thrown out on their ass (and into the emergency room).

But hey, millionaires won’t be asked to pay an income tax—voters saved that victimized class last year—so it’s not all bad news, right? recommended

6 replies on “The Budget Is Coming”

  2. Where does the “or of color” come in? Or do you just throw that in by default without thinking? I think old, sick and/or poor cover it all pretty well, don’t you? Mindless twat.

  3. @2 Did you grow “up” with your head inside your anus?Persons of color,especially the Blacks,are still oppressed;unplug your Boob Tube and actually go outside — waaaaaay the fuck outside(travel),then you will see for yourself.Unless you keep your doctrinal blinders on!

  4. Truly, tuition hikes are the worst sort of regressive tax. We’re smothering our economic future by constantly making higher education less affordable.

  5. Good thing those tax loop-holes have been spared. We wouldn’t want big businesses having to pay at the same rate as the little people.

  6. We could go back to the 30’s thru the 50’s when the UW Tuition was really cheap. Of course, if you were a male, you were REQUIRED to be a member of the US Military. How many people would sign up for that? lol

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