Latest Leak Confirms TTIP a 'Serious Threat to Democracy as We Know It'

[Ferd Berfel]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/03/18/latest-leak-confirms-ttip-serious-threat-democracy-we-know-it

Document shows how TTIP will facilitate big business influence—and U.S. influence—on lawmaking, says corporate watchdog

EU member states and the European Parliament will be "sidelined" in favor of big business and U.S. interests should the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) go through, according to a leaked document revealed Friday.

The leak, of the corporate-friendly trade deal's draft chapter on "regulatory cooperation" between the EU and U.S., was made public by The Independent and Brussels-based campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO).

It exposes "a labyrinth of procedures that could tie up any EU proposals that go against U.S. interests," as The Independent put it, as well as "the extent to which major corporations and industry groups will be able to influence the development of regulatory cooperation."

(snip)

In short, he said, "this document shows how TTIP's regulatory cooperation will facilitate big business influence—and U.S. influence—on lawmaking before a proposal is even presented to parliaments."

Nick Dearden, executive director of Global Justice Now, told The Independent: "The leak absolutely confirms our fears about TTIP. It's all about giving big business more power over a very wide range of laws and regulations."

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Isn't the other term for this: Fascism?

[randome]

1. Wait, I thought putting the U.S. ahead of all others was the point of opposition in the first place.

This article has no specifics, either. It's a lot of 'panic now'. Cooperation between nations is, in general, a good thing.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[ronnie624]

4. "Cooperation between nations" is a good thing.

It implies cooperation for the purpose of promoting the common good. These partnerships are more for solidifying the entrenchment of the economic orthodoxy, and maximizing profits for share-holders and corporate executives, at the expense of labor, the environment and social services. They would more accurately be described as 'cooperation between global elites'.

[newfie11]

2. Well YES!

It's not rocket science to see weve been sold down the river.
Thanks Obama, I voted twice for you and look what I got for it!!
At least the oligarchs will appreciate your help in pushing this piece of crap through .

[Ferd Berfel]

3. yea I voted for him 3 times

YOu'll notice going forward that Hillary supporters thinks it's great stuff

[Dustlawyer]

18. No, it's not rocket science. I don't understand why it's so hard to believe of the corrupting

influence/control campaign contributions and Super PACs have on politicians. Politicians are ambitious people who realize that to further their ambitions they need to serve the corporate interests or pick another career. When we rank our politicians by how much in legal bribes they take in every quarter, there is a real problem!

I really don't understand Hillary supporters who are ok with all of the corporate money she and Bill have taken over the years. She and Bill have been paid $135,000,000 for speeches since he left office and they still believe her when she says it has no influence with her. She is personal friends with many of these movers and shakers, and yet, they have no influence! Really?

[Rex]

5. Yes corporate fascism is a real thing.

Just look at all the toadies that bootlick anytime a corporation is mentioned in a negative light.

[Odin2005]

6. I call it Caesarism.

The German historian Oswald Spengler used the term to mean when the outward political forms of society have become a meaningless facade and real power is in private hands, much like Rome under the early emperors. He was a pessimist who considered Caesarism to be the end point of political evolution of all civilizations.

[Ferd Berfel]

8. Interesting

[Odin2005]

22. Spengler wrote "The Decline of The West" a century ago...

...and he was prophetic in so many ways. The predictions he made about the power of money via the the mass media, and of democracy becoming a joke of people simply ratifying what the political parties have already chosen behind closed doors have come true.

[Major Hogwash]

11. So, is that why Hillary evolved?

So we could come to the end point of our civilization?

This could explain why she has taken most, if not all, of Bernie's stances on the issues.

[Ferd Berfel]

13. Talk is cheap

Triangulation is too.

Clinton taking Bernie's position is temporary and meaningless

Wall Street knows this is is not afraid of her triangulation as has been reported here.

[Dont call me Shirley]

7. Nafta, Cafta, wto are already huge threats to democracy. End the global fascist agenda!

[stupidicus]

9. we're all corporatists/fascists now

eom

[Bad Dog]

10. There are over 200 food additives banned in the EU.

That are allowed in America, like bleach in chicken. We do not want that. Neither do we want American medical businesses making a grab for the NHS or multinationals suing governments for not having enough nuclear power.

TTIP needs to be resisted. This is not America.

[AZ Progressive]

12. With a Hillary win, it's pretty much certain that it will pass

The only person that can be trusted to block it is Bernie.

[Bad Dog]

21. There's two sides to this.

It won't go through if we don't let it. It's not just down to America.

[Kip Humphrey]

14. While the term "fascism" has been conflated lately with "nazism", fascism still is an socio-economic

(read as politico-economic) system of corporate socialism. The conflation of terms fascism & nazism has been A) to purposely confuse the meanings so as to bury actions toward fulfilling a global fascist outcome and B) to use in defining Dr.Umpf as a fascist when, in fact, he is deploying nazi philosophy and tactics. Dr.Umpf could care less about economic theory or practice and likely has no idea what the precepts of fascism are.

I am all about fighting global fascism (like my father before me) which is why I'm not for Hillary.

[Skwmom]

15. The TTIP is about much more than trade.

[Ferd Berfel]

23. Like our TPP

it's mush less about trade than it is about Corporate sovereignty over State sovereignty

Just like:"Blue Skies" and "patriot Act" the title isn't what it's about

[Plucketeer]

16. Whatever's wrong with it

Hillary will put the fix in - just as directed by her corporate sponsors. We needn't fret.

[Baobab]

17. MUCH WORSE- MANY US jobs lost - and laws must be superseded too if they go against EU interests

All trade deals are multilateral, which often means we end up with the worst deal of all.. because of our being the main pusher of these things.. A shining example of that is predatory drug pricing..

Which the PHRMA and US seem to blame on public health care, which is total BS.



Another example, on energy export, we will have to export to the highest bidder, no saving any for low bidders in America. thats forbidden.

Another example, we will have to put most government procurement up for international bidding, even on services like construction, thats going to mean things like building infrastructure to create jobs will not create many new jobs here, unless we lower our wages a lot.

Those jobs will go to subcontractors from low wage countries.

Same thing with teaching, nursing, etc, unless they put carve outs in now.

All procurement in steps, eventually down to the local level.

[Tragl1]

19. Nafta was signed by Clinton

If Hillary gets in she will sign onto this, oh wait, let's change some sentence structure, and poof now it's a good deal. This literally will be the death nail in the middle class in America. Why Obama is pushing this, blows my mind.

[pampango]

20. If a TTIP with Europe already existed and Obama was negotiating a return to WTO rules

for our trade with Europe, would we favor going with the WTO governance? If the TTIP is worse than the WTO, then it deserves to be defeated. If the WTO is worse than the TTIP then we should not leave the WTO in charge of trade with Europe. I don't want to resist change because all change is bad. But I do want to resist change that is bad.

[AxionExcel]

24. K & R