Michelle Rhee: Dragon Capitalist

Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons

Michelle Rhee’s Students First project collaborated with Michigan Republicans to draft four anti-teacher education bills, including the implementation of a merit pay scheme and the gutting of teacher’s collective bargaining rights. The bills make it easier to fire teachers, dramatically reducing their ability to advocate for their students or themselves. The bills also make it easier to slash their pensions, benefits and pay and easier to bust their unions. This, in turn, makes it easier to fund subsidies and tax cuts for the wealthy and while contributing to increased profits by stimulating a general downward spiral in wages.

The following is from the Rhee First website:

“Education blogger At the Chalk Face has obtained an internal briefing document from Michelle Rhee’s Students First, and makes clear just how extensively Students First collaborated with Michigan Republicans on four education bills targeting teachers, including one limiting collective bargaining. The 30-page PDF is available here.”