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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama distracts with soft issues (Redskins name), secretly readies job-killing/wage-lowering TPP
Americans should be rallying in front of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, etc. and demanding why the mainstream news media is ignoring this trade deal which will kill off what's left of the middle class.
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/4/a_corporate_trojan_horse_obama_pushes
"A Corporate Trojan Horse": Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws
As the federal government shutdown continues, Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Asia for secret talks on a sweeping new trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP is often referred to by critics as "NAFTA on steroids," and would establish a free trade zone that would stretch from Vietnam to Chile, encompassing 800 million people about a third of world trade and nearly 40 percent of the global economy. While the text of the treaty has been largely negotiated behind closed doors and, until June, kept secret from Congress, more than 600 corporate advisers reportedly have access to the measure, including employees of Halliburton and Monsanto. "This is not mainly about trade," says Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizens Global Trade Watch. "It is a corporate Trojan horse. The agreement has 29 chapters, and only five of them have to do with trade. The other 24 chapters either handcuff our domestic governments, limiting food safety, environmental standards, financial regulation, energy and climate policy, or establishing new powers for corporations."
snip
Lori Wallach: "For instance, there are the same investor privileges that promote job offshoring to lower-wage countries. There is a ban on Buy Local procurement, so that corporations have a right to do sourcing, basically taking our tax dollars, and instead of investing them in our local economy, sending them offshore. There are new rights to, for instance, have freedom to enter other countries and take natural resources, a right for mining, a right for oil, gas, without approval.
And then theres a whole set of very worrisome issues relating to Internet freedom. Through sort of the backdoor of the copyright chapter of TPP is a whole chunk of SOPA, the Stop Online Privacy Act, that activism around the country successfully derailed a year ago. Think about all the things that would be really hard to get into effect as a corporation in public, a lot of them rejected here and in the other 11 countries, and that is whats bundled in to the TPP. And every country would be required to change its laws domestically to meet these rules. The binding provision is, each country shall ensure the conformity of domestic laws, regulations and procedures.
Now, the only reason I know that level of detail is because a few texts have leaked, and I have been following the negotiations and grilling negotiators from other countries to try and find between the lines what the hell is going on; otherwise, totally secret.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Some people are interested in TPP out of policy issues (e.g. cali) and their work is worth paying attention to.
Others, notsomuch,
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)I thought I had the propaganda machine on ignore! Will remedy that oversight on the double quick.
Ooof.
G_j
(40,367 posts)can you be more specific?
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)the issue, but engage in reflexive Obama-bashing.
G_j
(40,367 posts)try reading it..
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)of policy interest. There's nothing new in this OP other than the ODS lie that Obama is focusing on soft issues these days (Redskins name was a single question he was asked, not an issue he tried to play up)
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)G_j
(40,367 posts)posters who won't read the interview. brilliant
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
indepat
(20,899 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023789988
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)When democrats claim to be fighting for wages by increasing the minimum wage one penny at a time those of us who will remember the democrats who voted and supported the TPP will know better.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Pissed in editorial that Obama is not pursuing this agreement with enough gusto. I am sure peole are pushing back on this bullshit trade agreement. They are currently working to insert poison pill additions like protections of certain large agencies and a provision to fight currency manipulation. Japan and Vietnam will balk at these.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)but sent Biden in his place.
Obama has been explicit in saying passing TPP is a priority for him.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Quote and then we'll chat.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)http://www.policymic.com/articles/26235/obama-sotu-transcript
Or this one:
"It is an ambitious goal, but we are optimistic that we can get it done," he said.
The trade zone can serve as a model for the region and for other trade pacts, increasing U.S. exports and helping to create jobs, a top priority, in the fastest growing region in the world, said Obama, who made promoting the so-called TPP a priority in hosting this week's summit in his hometown, Honolulu.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Putting much presidential weight behind it. The U.S. has most of the bargaining chips. The U.S. needs to extract MAJOR concessions from Japan to break down trade barriers. This needs to be an agreement in U.S. interests re: increasing exports and creating American jobs.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)I think saying "he is having people work on the issue" is a safe statement.
And singling it out in the SOTU, if that isn't presidential weight, I dunno. Of course, that is rhetoric weight.
Would you agree that when Obama asks for fast-track authority, that would be a very clear indication of presidential weight?
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)A trade agreement that strips the US of its sovereignty when it comes to regulating products and companies in the US.
This idea that removing more and more barriers for business is only good and has no harmful effects is bullshit.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)"but sent Biden in his place. "
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2013
Statement by the Press Secretary on Cancellation of the Presidents Trip to Asia
Due to the government shut-down, President Obamas travel to Indonesia and Brunei has been cancelled. The President made this decision based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of a shutdown, and his determination to continue pressing his case that Republicans should immediately allow a vote to reopen the government. Secretary Kerry will lead delegations to both countries in place of the President.
The cancellation of this trip is another consequence of the House Republicans forcing a shutdown of the government. This completely avoidable shutdown is setting back our ability to create jobs through promotion of U.S. exports and advance U.S. leadership and interests in the largest emerging region in the world. The President looks forward to continuing his work with our allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific and to returning to the region at a later date.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/03/1244012/-White-House-press-secretary-s-statement-on-cancellation-of-President-Obama-s-trip-to-Asia
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)you calling that lying is...helpful
on edit: because obviously, sending Kerry is clearly indicative that TPP has no priority
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)is proof of a nefarious conspiracy is similarly helpful.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)I've supplied two quotes that illustrate it. If you have any that show Obama is hesitant abnout TPP, I'll be happy to read them.
You throwing in a nefarious conspiracy is what I believe is called a straw man. The TPP is out there enough for all to see, no need to make it a conspiracy, right.
karynnj
(59,504 posts)To me, this was partly the optics of leaving the country at this time and a very high chance that there are no BIG things (ie that treaty) that will happen on this trip.
I find it interesting that all the negative articles contain very specific things that they say are included AND they are angry that it is secret. One of these has to be wrong.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)given that it contains 29 chapters and only two have been leaked. Here's the investment one.
What was leaked is very concerning, unless you're happy to be forbidden to include a "buy local" clause in any contract. P8 in the linked chapter.
What's left secret, but not to 600 industry insiders, is maddening.
I agree that it was logical Obama stayed in the US, by the way. And as I posted upthread, it was indeed Kerry, I'm sorry.
BluegrassStateBlues
(881 posts)He was asked the question in an interview that centered mostly around the debt ceiling and government shutdown.
I don't consider the threat to default on our debt and the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers to be 'soft' issues.
mother earth
(6,002 posts)will ever be acknowledged.
Carter is right, we no longer have a functioning democracy.
BluegrassStateBlues
(881 posts)An extreme wing of one party is bringing the entire country to its knees.
If you think that the Democratic Party or the President are colluding with them, I have nothing more to say to you.
mother earth
(6,002 posts)not, what matters is the result of this dog and pony show. It keeps people sucked in, like a good video game. When the dust settles, let's see what slid under the collective radar.
Jim Warren
(2,736 posts)mother earth
(6,002 posts)forefront. A nice little dropkick to the economy will make us ever so humble & grateful for the crumbs left behind once again.
Matt Taibbi is right, nothing to see here folks, move along.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)know and mostly "don't know" about the TPP. She came down to my State and gave a Talk and Democracy Now had her interviewed this past week.
She sort of like an Elizabeth Warren. She makes sense out of nonsense.
RECOMMEND!
KoKo
(84,711 posts)"A Corporate Trojan Horse": Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws
VIDEO AT THIS LINK of LORI WALLACH...
<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.democracynow.org/embed/story/2013/10/4/a_corporate_trojan_horse_obama_pushes" frameborder="0"></iframe>
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/4/a_corporate_trojan_horse_obama_pushes
As the federal government shutdown continues, Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Asia for secret talks on a sweeping new trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP is often referred to by critics as "NAFTA on steroids," and would establish a free trade zone that would stretch from Vietnam to Chile, encompassing 800 million people about a third of world trade and nearly 40 percent of the global economy. While the text of the treaty has been largely negotiated behind closed doors and, until June, kept secret from Congress, more than 600 corporate advisers reportedly have access to the measure, including employees of Halliburton and Monsanto. "This is not mainly about trade," says Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizens Global Trade Watch. "It is a corporate Trojan horse. The agreement has 29 chapters, and only five of them have to do with trade. The other 24 chapters either handcuff our domestic governments, limiting food safety, environmental standards, financial regulation, energy and climate policy, or establishing new powers for corporations."
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: President Obama announced this week that the U.S. government shutdown would delay his upcoming four-country trip to Asia, but that negotiations on a controversial new trade agreement he hopes to sign by the end of the year will continue to move forward. Obama called the Philippines president Tuesday night to say he would miss his visit, and a spokesperson shared the news with reporters Thursday.
RICKY CARANDANG: Secretary Kerry ... he will go in place of President Obama. President Obama personally called President Aquino to tell himto explain to him why he could not make the visit.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: John Kerry will attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings next week in Indonesia, where hell push for the completion of a sweeping new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the largest international trade deal since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995. The administration hopes to pass the measure through Congress by the end of the year using its Fast Track authority to limit lawmakers to an up-or-down vote.
AMY GOODMAN: The TPP is often referred to by critics as "NAFTA on steroids" and would establishing a free trade zone that would stretch from Vietnam to Chile, encompass 800 million peopleabout a third of world trade and nearly 40 percent of the global economy. While the text of the treaty has been largely negotiated behind closed doors, more than 600 corporate advisers reportedly have access to the measure, including employees of Halliburton and Monsanto.
Well, for more, were joined by Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizens Global Trade Watch.
Lori, welcome back to Democracy Now! Just explain what the TPP is.
LORI WALLACH: Well, one of the most important things to understand is its not really mainly about trade. I guess the way to think about it is as a corporate Trojan horse. The agreement has 29 chapters, and only five of them have to do with trade. The other 24 chapters either handcuff our domestic governments, limiting food safety, environmental standards, financial regulation, energy and climate policy, or establishing new powers for corporations.
For instance, there are the same investor privileges that promote job offshoring to lower-wage countries. There is a ban on Buy Local procurement, so that corporations have a right to do sourcing, basically taking our tax dollars, and instead of investing them in our local economy, sending them offshore. There are new rights to, for instance, have freedom to enter other countries and take natural resources, a right for mining, a right for oil, gas, without approval.
And then theres a whole set of very worrisome issues relating to Internet freedom. Through sort of the backdoor of the copyright chapter of TPP is a whole chunk of SOPA, the Stop Online Privacy Act, that activism around the country successfully derailed a year ago. Think about all the things that would be really hard to get into effect as a corporation in public, a lot of them rejected here and in the other 11 countries, and that is whats bundled in to the TPP. And every country would be required to change its laws domestically to meet these rules. The binding provision is, each country shall ensure the conformity of domestic laws, regulations and procedures.
Now, the only reason I know that level of detail is because a few texts have leaked, and I have been following the negotiations and grilling negotiators from other countries to try and find between the lines what the hell is going on; otherwise, totally secret.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Lori, about that secrecy, even members of Congress have been severely limited in what they can learn, and thats only after the revelations about the total secrecy that this whole process began with. Could you talk about what members of Congress are allowed to know and how?
LORI WALLACH: Well, whats really important for people to knowand this gets to what you started out with about Fast Track. Congress has exclusive constitutional authority over trade. Its kind of like the Boston Tea Party hangover. After having a king just impose tariffs, in that case on tea, the founders said, "We need to put all things about trade, international commerce, in the hands of Congress, the most diffuse part of the elected representation, not the executive, the king." So Congress has all this authority. Theyre supposed to be exclusively in control. But until this June, they were not even allowed to see the draft text.
And it was only after a big, great fuss was kicked up by a lot of members150 of them wrote last yearthat finally members of Congress, upon request for the particular chapter, can have a government administration official bring them a chapter. Their staff is thrown out of the room. They cant take detailed notes. Theyre not supposed to talk about what they saw. And they can, without staff to help them figure out what the technical language is, look at a chapter. This is in contrast to, say, even what the Bush administration did. The last time we had one of these mega-NAFTA expansion attempts was the Free Trade Area of the Americas. And in that instance, in 2001, that whole draft text was released to the public by the U.S. government on the official government websites. So, this is extraordinary secrecy, and members of Congress arent supposed to tell anyone what theyve read. So, for instance, you know, Alan Grayson, who was one of the guys who helped to get the text released, Alan Grayson said, "I can tell you its very bad for the future of America. I just cant tell you why." Thats obscene.
This would rewrite wide swaths of our laws. And again, its mainly not about trade. So, if we have this agreement in effect, for instance, it would be a big push for fracking. Now you would say, "Why fracking?" Because it doesnt allow us to have bans on liquid natural gas exports. Or, if this were in effect, we couldnt ensure the safety of the food we feed our families. We have to import, for instance, fish and shrimp that we know, from the limited inspection thats done, is extremely dangerous from certain kinds of growing ponds that are contaminated, etc., in some of the TPP countries. Or, for instance, some of the financial reforms where the banksters were finally regulated would be rolled back. All of this, and it would be privately enforceable by certain foreign corporations.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you about a bill that didnt make it through Congress, but the question is, is it incorporated into TPP? And thats SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act. First explain what it is, and talk about where it fits in here.
LORI WALLACH: So, the Stop Online Piracy Act was a vehicle basically to take away some of our rights on the Internet. It would have criminalized what they call inadvertent, small-scale, non-commercial copying. And the example would be, for instance, Juan, I had you over to dinner. You liked the recipe I had. I happened to have taken it for $2 I paid for it off of a paid website. And you said, "Lori, can you send me that recipe?" And, of course, I said, "Yeah," and I sent it to you. That is officially a copyright violation. I should say, "You have to go pay $2 and get it yourself, Juan." But, in fact, its small-scale. I didnt sell it. Its not commercial. I didnt send it to a lot of people.
That kind of activity, under SOPA, as well as any number of things we do all the timemaking a copy, or like a buffer copy that our computer would make to look at a video, or breaking a digital lockfor instance, if we bought software, but we wanted to run it on Linuxall of those things would be considered criminal activities. Wed face huge fines, and our carriersGoogle, etc.would have to take us off of service, to black us out. So, a huge limit on Internet freedom.
That whole mess was defeated in Congress in a wonderful citizen uprising. A chunk of that is now stuck in the copyright chapter of SOPAof TPP. So, they call TPP "son of SOPA." In a lot of countries around the TPP region, citizens have fought to have good laws that actually provide them access and dont allow that kind of control. So, that is a chunk. To give you an idea of how varied the problems are, thats a chunk of what is in there.
Now, the thing about that Fast Track you mentioned, Fast Track is not in effect. Fast Track is an extraordinary delegation of Congresss authority. So if we dont want unsafe food, offshore jobs, SOPA, SOPA, SOPA, limits on Internet freedom, the banksters gettings rolled back into deregulation, we have to make sure that Congress actually maintains its constitutional authority to make sure that before this agreement can be signed, it actually works for us. Fast Track is a delegation of authority. President Obama has asked for it, but it only happens if Congress gives it to him.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Lori, whats been the Obama administrations position on these negotiations in terms of tobacco? Could you talk about that specifically?
LORI WALLACH: Well, the whole approach of the Obama administration has really been, I dont know, some combination of heartbreaking and infuriating, because when he was a candidate, President Obama promised he would replace the NAFTA model, and instead theyve doubled down.
So the tobacco issue is one of those thats the most gruesome. So, the TPP includes the very controversial investor-state system, which empowers individual corporations to directly sue governmentsnot in our courts, but in extrajudicial tribunals where three corporate attorneys act as "judges," and these guys rotate between being the judge and being the guys suing the government for the corporation. Theyre empowered to give unlimited cash damages from us, the taxpayers, to these corporations for any government actiona regulatory issue, environment, health, safetythat undermines the investors expected future profits. Under that system, big tobacco companies have been attacking health regulations. And famouslyinfamouslythese kinds of investor-state cases have extracted billions of dollars and undermined important laws. So, Philip Morris has used this to attack Australia, one of the TPP countrys plain-packaging-of-cigarette laws. So, a lot of the TPP countries are very worried that they would be basically handcuffed from being able to regulate for health around tobacco. So, the U.S. originally was going to offer an exception. Big tobacco came in and basically won the day. The U.S. pulled away what was a medium exception, put in something thats really worse than nothing, and then Malaysia came in and actually offered a real exception, which the U.S. is opposingjust like the U.S. is opposing an exception to maintain financial regulations for prudential reasons, just like the U.S. is opposing a real exception to those investor tribunals with respect to health and the environment. Its incredibly depressing.
The only good news is a bunch of the other countries have basically said, "Basta! We are not going to roll back these things." So the reason there isnt a deal is because a lot of the other countries are standing up to the worst of these U.S. corporate-inspired demands. You can see the whole lay of this at ExposeTheTPP, www.exposethetpp. There are fact sheets on each of the ways, each aspect of your life the TPP could affect. And if you want to get down into the weeds and have long papers explaining and/or information from other countries, you can go to tradewatch.org. Thats tradewatch.org. Between those two sets of information, youll see theres almost no part of your life or the things you care about that this agreement couldnt undermine. And again, trade is the least of it.
AMY GOODMAN: Lori Wallach, we want to thank you very much for being with us. Lori Wallach is director of Public Citizens Global Trade Watch. When we come back, President Obama is about to hit a new milestone: two million people deported under his administration. Well talk about it. Stay with us.
the title is so offensive to some, that nothing she has to say is worth attention.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)I guess I'm "Bad Dem" or something...but, couldn't find it offensive
But..people see what they want to see. She's really good and hope folks will check out her video because she's very down to earth and worth a watch. Why folks don't want to be informed is probably the issue... But, in these times, closing ones ears off and going "nah, nah, nah...is kind of foolish if they care enough to seek out a Democratic Site to be informed and then don't like what Dems post.
G_j
(40,367 posts)how many times have we been down this road? We need all the information we can find on this. I read the interview. Thank you for the video. I am watching it now.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)would be interested to know what you thought when you finish it if you want to share.
G_j
(40,367 posts)I realize now, I heard her on the radio.
She knows about everything one can know, from the outside.
I also thought the DN! introduction to the TPP story was very good. Everybody should really watch this.
I'd give it 5 stars for importance!
KoKo
(84,711 posts)FSogol
(45,504 posts)scheming daemons
(25,487 posts).
FSogol
(45,504 posts)The checklist:
avatar of respected liberal icon
posts appear to be from multiple people due to wide variances of style
articles all criticize Democrats from the left
Inability to criticize GOP or the right in general
Seldom follows up or defends rotten ideas/posts
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)TBF
(32,081 posts)and we need to be discussing it.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Thread has discussed it--just used it as an anti-Obama scare tactic.
TBF
(32,081 posts)but TPP is an issue. My concern is that like NAFTA it will drive millions more jobs out of this country.
ETA -- I think we've discussed this in other threads and I've provided links. Guess I'm just tired tonight. I'm just responding so I see this in "my posts" - if you'd like me to provide the links again I will get them for you.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Thanks for any links you provide.
TBF
(32,081 posts)I really need to do an OP and include links I've found. The concern with the TPP is that it is going to encourage free trade (ie take away jobs here in the US) plus address IP issues (and perhaps limit how we can use the Internet). Personally I am not against closed borders and would like to see a time in which we didn't have such strong countries. I'd like to eventually see more of a world order - but in order to get there everyone has to be on board and I think it will need to be more socialist in nature. It can't be the type of thing where only some countries sign on and then we are simply sending jobs away and hurting the people in this country (we did enough of that with NAFTA).
My musings aside, here is the easiest one I was able to pull up - I posted it as an OP in August:
INSTITUTE FOR FOOD AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY
VOLUME 19 NUMBER 2
SUMMER 2013
The Trans-Pacific Partnership:
A Threat to Democracy and Food Sovereignty
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), perhaps the worlds most ambitious free trade agreement,
is currently under negotiation. What began as a small regional free trade agreement has become
one of the primary tools in the United States geopolitical pivot towards the Asia-Pacific region.
The agreementnegotiated in secrecywill dramatically expand the rights of corporations over
those of food producers, consumers, workers and the environment. This Backgrounder outlines the
agreements assault on democracy and food sovereignty and examines the TPPs likely impacts on
food and agriculture in Japan, the latest country to join negotiations.
What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) began as a trade agreement signed in 2005 between Brunei, New
Zealand, Chile and Singapore. Since then, seven more countries came on board: Australia, Canada,
Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, the United States and, most recently, Japan. For the time being, South
Korea is not participating, despite pressure from Washington.
With Japans entry, TPP countries account
for nearly 40 percent of global economic output and about a third of world trade ...
http://www.foodfirst.org/sites/www.foodfirst.org/files/pdf/2013_Summer_Backgrounder_-_TTP.pdf
MORE:
TPP Negotiators Start Meeting To Reach An Agreement by Year End -- http://forexblog.oanda.com/20130918/tpp-negotiators-start-meeting-to-reach-an-agreement-by-year-end/
TPP: Corporate Power Tool of the 1% -- http://www.citizen.org/TPP
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)elected. I assume he still thinks it was masses of $5.00 donors? Presidents get into Bubbles in their Second Terms. It's a fact.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Well then, I guess so.
It's a fact.
Hekate
(90,751 posts)#1 Which job-killing endeavors has the president engaged in so far? The ACA? Saving GM? Name me one, so I can get a feel for the guy's track record.
#2 Which wage-lowering endeavors has the president engaged in so far? Last I heard he wanted to raise the minimum wage, which made the GOP gnash its teeth and weep salty tears.
G_j
(40,367 posts)so people have reason to be concerned.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement
Recursion
(56,582 posts)That NAFTA?
G_j
(40,367 posts)Recursion
(56,582 posts)We are entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts. This is simply what happened. This was the only case of wages rising since the mid-1970's.
Of course you are entitled to your view. I just do not have the stomach to revisit that subject, there is so much involved. I'm not up for digging up a bunch of numbers and statistics.
I guess I thought we had generally come to the conclusion it's wasn't so good overall.
My fault for bringing it up suppose. I would rather discuss the TPP.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)American agriculture did really well, as it always seems to do after any trade deal. American heavy manufacturing and prototype manufacturing did very well too. American light manufacturing got absolutely destroyed.
GoneFishin
(5,217 posts)"It is a corporate Trojan horse. The agreement has 29 chapters, .... limiting food safety, environmental standards, financial regulation, energy and climate policy, or establishing new powers for corporations. .....
.... promote job offshoring to lower-wage countries .... ban on Buy Local procurement, .... to enter other countries and take natural resources .... without approval.
And .... issues relating to Internet freedom .... through sort of the backdoor .... is a whole chunk .... the Stop Online Privacy Act, .... things that would be really hard to get into effect as a corporation in public, .... that is whats bundled in to the TPP. "
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)xfundy
(5,105 posts)Odd, indeed.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)from the TPP getting slipped through Congress into law quietly behind closed doors ...
MisterP
(23,730 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)and he gave his opinion and said they should probably change their name.
You think that statement was some master plan to distract from TPP?
dionysus
(26,467 posts)American hero.
Hekate
(90,751 posts)Jeez Louise.
FSogol
(45,504 posts)scheming daemons
(25,487 posts)Trash thread.
brentspeak
(18,290 posts)I guess, in your mind, that must be meant as some sort of twisted compliment.