Moskowitz Refuses To Give Back The Blood Money

From the Daily News:

Lawmakers slammed Success Academy charter boss Eva Moskowitz Wednesday for accepting an $8.5 million donation from controversial hedge fund manager John Paulson.

Paulson recently bought $120 million of Puerto Rico's debt and has developed a luxury retreat for wealthy Americans fleeing rising taxes in the U.S.

His critics say he is exploiting the island's recent economic troubles.

"You should not be living and making a profit off the bones of Puerto Rico," said New York State Sen. Gustavo Rivera. "This is blood money."

"It's important Eva Moskowitz stand up and say we don't take dirty money," said City Councilmember Antonio Reynoso.

More from Reynoso:

“Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are,” Mr. Reynoso said, quoting a popular Spanish proverb. “Right now, the message Eva Moskowitz is sending to us and the diaspora of Puerto Rico is that her friends are false, and they take advantage of the terrible financial policies in Puerto Rico that have crippled the residents and the citizens of Puerto Rico.”

Moskowitz's reply?

But Moskowitz dismissed the criticism, saying: "Success Academy is proud to accept money from John Paulson."

Hey, what's a little blood money when it will buy some extra "Test Prep Pampers" for the kids to wear during the school day?

Hooray!!!

This story leaves me feeling inspired today:

MIAMI — Thousands of students at the University of Puerto Rico who went on strike two months ago to oppose severe budget cuts declared victory on Thursday after reaching an agreement with administrators.

As part of a deal brokered by a court-appointed mediator, students would end their strike — one of the largest and longest such walkouts in Puerto Rican history — in exchange for a number of concessions. Most notably, the university’s Board of Regents has agreed to cancel a special fee that would have effectively doubled the cost to attend the university’s 11 public campuses.

The deal also includes a promise that there will be no sanctions against strike organizers, who clashed at times with the police at the main Río Piedras campus outside San Juan.

The accord must still be approved by a general assembly of university students, which is expected Monday. Christopher Powers, a literature professor at the Mayagüez campus, said it was “nearly a complete victory for the students,” noting that they failed to get a promise that there would be no large tuition increase next year. Professor Powers said planned cuts later this year to the salaries and benefits of professors could set off another round of conflict.

“The fact that a student movement was able to force the administration and the government to sit down at the negotiating table and concede to nearly all their demands is a very important precedent,” Professor Powers said. “It will serve as an inspiration.”

Every once in a while, the little people in this world gain a small (and usually temporary) victory over the large moneyed interests that run things.

That's what happened in Puerto Rico.