Spokane citizens seek to bring commonsense solutions to homelessness crisis
Spokane citizens seek to bring commonsense solutions to homelessness crisis
Spokane provides the latest example of how citizens are forced to correct politicians’ failed policies because stubborn elected officials refuse to admit that their extremist, “Housing First” policies have made problems worse. Housing First is the policy strategy that provides free taxpayer-funded housing for homeless individuals regardless of their addiction, mental health, or criminal status....
Rethink Criminal Justice and Recovery
Rethink Criminal Justice and Recovery
By Ginny Burton After nearly 30 years of active drug use, the criminal justice system became the intervention that saved my life. When felony charges finally pulled me off the streets, it wasn’t punishment that made the difference—it was the pause. Incarceration removed me from homelessness, stopped the criminal behavior that fed my addiction, and...
Why Is Dow Constantine Being Rewarded After a Decade of Failure in King County?
Why Is Dow Constantine Being Rewarded After a Decade of Failure in King County?
Among the regular stream of meaningless partisan statements issued by Governor Bob Ferguson’s communications team was one of last week which has received almost no attention from the local press. It is significant because it reveals the lack of accountability by our political leaders, and it helps explain why the Seattle/King County region and our...
THANK YOU SLADE GORTON!
THANK YOU SLADE GORTON!
As our region enjoys the success of the Seattle Mariners, let’s take a moment to thank former Washington State Attorney General and U.S. Senator Slade Gorton for all that he did to bring the team to the Pacific Northwest and then lead the effort to keep them here when the team threatened to move to...
Bellevue Cracks Down on Repeat Offenders, Prioritizes Public Safety and Treatment
Bellevue Cracks Down on Repeat Offenders, Prioritizes Public Safety and Treatment
On September 23, the Bellevue City Council passed a preliminary public safety measure that will benefit small businesses, protect retail employees, save taxpayers money, and ensure activists judges won’t immediately release repeat criminals. Final passage of the bill is expected to take place on October 7. By a 6 to 1 vote, the council passed...
Why do those on the Left hate citizen initiatives?
Why do those on the Left hate citizen initiatives?
Here in Washington State we have seen many examples of the Democrats (and their wealthy special interest friends) attacking the initiative process. This has included: Supporting legislation to weaken the initiative process Spending tens of millions to defeat citizen initiatives Recklessly adding “emergency” clauses to controversial bills which prohibit initiatives Hire expensive law firms to...
Why Treatment is superior to Housing First to solve homelessness
Why Treatment is superior to Housing First to solve homelessness
1 – Housing First creates dependency on government, Treatment creates self-sufficiency Housing First creates dependency on government’s expensive social services while treatment creates independence. Providing someone with free shelter (which is often very unsafe) does nothing to solve the disabling addiction and mental health problems. The individual then becomes dependent on government services. Yet with...
Voters See Through Failed Housing First Policies — Demand Real Solutions
Voters See Through Failed Housing First Policies — Demand Real Solutions
Results from a new statewide survey reveal that an overwhelming percentage of Washington residents are demanding a change in how our state and local governments approach homelessness. After more than a decade of rising homeless rates while adhering to expensive Housing First policies, the public strongly supports changing the focus to one based on addiction/mental...
Lack of action from state leaders means more fraud and waste will occur
Lack of action from state leaders means more fraud and waste will occur
Recent statements and releases from our state’s s highest elected officials suggest that their attention is primarily directed towards partisan disputes with the Trump Administration, rather than safeguarding taxpayer dollars. This emphasis on political battles appears to come at the expense of implementing effective oversight measures to prevent waste and fraud in public spending. As...
Washington residents strongly support more focus on treatment for homeless
Washington residents strongly support more focus on treatment for homeless
A new poll finds that Washington State residents overwhelmingly support the Trump Administration’s efforts to encourage treatment-based solutions (for both drug/alcohol addiction and mental illness) to battle the homelessness crises. Moreover, a large majority of Washington voters believe that current homelessness programs that DO NOT address addiction and mental health issues should be closed down....
Billions Wasted, Zero Consequences: No One Fired, Demoted, or Punished
Billions Wasted, Zero Consequences: No One Fired, Demoted, or Punished
Major stories about government fraud and waste make headlines for only a day or two before vanishing. Because the media quickly drops these stories, the people responsible avoid accountability and keep profiting from the wasteful and fraudulent system. Politicians make promises to fix the problem, but rarely is anything meaningful done as the waste and...
The Dow Constantine Legacy
The Dow Constantine Legacy
It has been nearly six months since then King County Executive Dow Constantine was handed $6 million by his cronies on the Sound Transit Board of Directors to lead its financially troubled organization. Yet his desire to recklessly and carelessly spend taxpayers’ money (while constantly demanding more) at the county still lives on. Remember at...
Local governments lead the way to solve the homelessness crisis
Local governments lead the way to solve the homelessness crisis
Local communities, frustrated by the failed progressive homeless policies of their urban neighbors, are taking proactive steps to safeguard their public places, while encouraging those suffering in encampments to accept much-needed mental health and addiction treatment. The City of Camas became the latest Washington State community to enact a camping ban when its city council...
The real reason for Seattle’s crime drop? Undoing dangerous policy
The real reason for Seattle’s crime drop? Undoing dangerous policy
Over the years, ChangeWA has occasionally sided with the long-time Times columnist, Danny Westneat, especially when extremists like Kshama Sawant, Lisa Herbold, and Pete Holmes controlled Seattle City Hall. But on his recent column explaining why Seattle crime rates have dropped, Westneat appeared to have forgotten several important occurrences which have had far more impact...