Frederick M. Hess's Blog
Budgetpalooza... Or, Mr. Mulgrew, Have I Got a Speechwriter for You
by Frederick M. Hess • May 12, 2010 at 10:10 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
 Print |  Send |  RSS |
Between the National Journal debate over Senator Tom Harkin's $23 billion bailout, the European Union ponying up a cool $1 trillion to stanch the bleeding in Greece, Mike Petrilli getting frisky on teacher firing, and my own dalliances in NYC teacher policy (see here or here), this is turning out to be quite the week for bailout mania.
Four different thoughts spurred by all this. First, I was struck by this gem from the Washington Post story on the Greek bailout. George Perros, member of the executive committee of the Pan-Hellenic Workers Front, sounded for all the world like he was channeling UFT president Michael Mulgrew when he explained why Greek workers were rioting against the cutbacks imposed by a government scrambling to stave off bankruptcy: "The rights of workers are not 'privileges.' The privileges are being enjoyed by the industrialists and big businesses,"
