"Big tuition hikes a ‘cold,’ ‘ugly reality’ in Wash."

Chris Grygiel (SeattlePI.com):

At a news conference where Boeing and Microsoft announced a $50 million pledge to a college scholarship fund, Gov. Chris Gregoire was asked whether the deep cuts to higher education in the most recent state budget would have been as severe if voters had passed an initiative that would’ve imposed an income tax on the wealthy.

“No,” she said.
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The Boeing and Microsoft scholarship monies are a welcome addition, but there are still hard feelings in some quarters that the companies have called for improvements to higher ed on the one hand while opposing tax mechanisms that could support students and schools. The new scholarship money from the two biggest private employers in the state is generous, but Boeing’s profit for 2010 was $3.3 billion. Microsoft’s profit last year was $18.7 billion. They’re not going to be sweating $5 million annual payments for the next couple years. MORE...