The headline is one part wishful thinking one part clickbait.
The article says that a business surtax that was supposed to pay for expanded college tuition assistance will come up $28 million short, and so they will have to take $28 million from the State’s general fund. That’s p*ss poor planning and quite typical of leftists State legislative hacks.
But no where does the article claim that Washington State “cannot afford” the $28 million needed by the program.
AFFORDING it is not the issue. Any state or government can always afford anything because they just have to steal from Peter to pay Paul! Want free healthcare? Take from the rich, give to the poor. Want free college for everyone? Take from the successful companies and give to the laggards.
So that 28 Million the state just has laying around between the couch cushions wasn't already allocated for say ... housing for the homeless, or Narcan for the drug addicts, or the states' Medicare and Medicaid portion, or bridge repair, Police, Fire, EMT, etc. After all, who doesn't have $28 Million just laying around to be used for yet another failed idea? Oh better hurry or some other idiot will claim that $28 Million for their pet project ... can you say "Safe Injection Sites?"
I'm with the dad that yelled at Liz Warren, I saved, scrimped, spend hours and hours with my kid making sure he got good enough grades to qualify for whatever college he wanted. I worked 16 hours a day 6 days a week so we could afford to send him without incurring debt and NOW you want to reward the lazy buggers that don't even try by "Forgiving" their ill advised debt? NOT WITH MY VOTE YOU DON'T!