Multinationals Are Plotting to Steamroll What's Left of Our Democracy to Make Huge Profits

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/economy/huge-multinationals-are-plotting-steamroll-our-democracy-their-hunt-profits

***SNIP

Fast Track

President Obama’s US Trade Representative (USTR) and lobbyists for the giant multinationals are asking Congress to yield its Constitutionally-mandated obligation to carefully review and amend the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. They want Congress to give the administration “Fast Track” “trade-promotion” authority (TPA) so they can get the deal done ASAP. ASAP in this case means literally in the next few months.

***SNIP

Giant Multinational Corporations Hope To Push This Through

If TPP passes it will override American law. Again: we will not be able to pass laws that reign in the corporations. We will not be able to protect our jobs and wages because, as we have seen, companies can just close a factory and move your job to a country that pays very little, doesn’t protect the environment, and doesn’t let working people do anything about it. Of course the giant companies want these agreements — they let them tell us that if we ask for decent wages or benefits they will fire us and move our job out of the country.


***SNIP

They Will Push It Through Like The Iraq War Was Pushed Through

So here is what is coming — soon. Lobbyists for the giant multinationals have been working behind the scenes to slip Fast Track through their friends in Congress. They will argue that the usual process Congress holding hearings, getting everyone’s viewpoint and hearing everyone’s concerns, then amending as needed and carefully considering the bill before a vote (also known as “representative democracy”) will just get in the way of getting this done. They will want as much of this done behind the scenes because regular people will naturally be upset about our Congress handing over their authority like this.

[Divernan]

1. Like giant multinational Big Tobacco: $35 billion annual profits;nearly 6 Million annual deaths

$35 Billion annual Tobacco Profits; Nearly 6 million annual deaths.

Last edited Tue Aug 20, 2013, 06:57 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)
http://www.worldlungfoundation.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/20439/pid/6858


*In 2010, tobacco industry’s profit was equivalent to US$6,000 for each death caused by tobacco.
* Since the 1st Tobacco Atlas in 2002, almost 50 million people have died from tobacco.
* 43 trillion cigarettes have been smoked in the last decade.

(Singapore) - The Tobacco Atlas, Fourth Edition, and its companion website TobaccoAtlas.org, were unveiled today by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation at the 15th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health. The Atlas graphically details the scale of the tobacco epidemic, progress that has been made in tobacco control, and the latest products and tactics being deployed by the highly profitable tobacco industry – such as the use of new media, trade litigation, and aggressive development of smokeless products.

Tobacco Industry Profits Greater Than Ever
According to The Tobacco Atlas, estimates of revenues from the global tobacco industry likely approach a half trillion U.S. dollars annually. In 2010, the combined profits of the six leading tobacco companies was U.S. $35.1 billion, equal to the combined profits of Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and McDonald’s in the same year. If Big Tobacco were a country, it would have a gross domestic product (GDP) of countries like Poland, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Venezuela.

The Most Preventable Cause of Death
In 2011, according to The Tobacco Atlas, tobacco use killed almost 6 million people, with nearly 80% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. When considering 2010 deaths with tobacco industry revenue, the tobacco industry realizes almost $6,000 in profit for each death caused by tobacco.

If trends continue, one billion people will die from tobacco use and exposure during the 21st century – one person every six seconds. Globally, tobacco-related deaths have nearly tripled in the past decade, and tobacco is responsible for more than 15% of all male deaths and 7% of female deaths. Tobacco is also a risk factor for the four leading noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – which account for more than 63% of global deaths according to the World Health Organization.

[Divernan]

2. "The Obama Administration has backed down";goes to bat for Big Tobacco in TPP

Obama Goes to Bat for Big Tobacco in TPP
Source: ASH, w/ thanks to DUer Lionel Mandrake

WASHINGTON, DC 19 August – The Obama Administration has backed down from a proposal revealed 15 months ago to protect health from Big Tobacco under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the pending free trade agreement with 11 other countries. New language concerning tobacco, the exact text of which has not been released, is expected to be proposed later this week at the next TPP negotiating round in Brunei. Legal analysts for the public health community, who were briefed Friday morning in a closed session by administration officials, agreed that the new proposal will do little to protect governments’ right to regulate tobacco.

“The draft TPPA benefits tobacco companies with zero tariffs, expanded investor rights, and greater limits on regulation of tobacco advertising and other services,” said Robert Stumberg, director of the Harrison Institute for Public Law at Georgetown University Law Center. “The revised U.S. position inserts the word ‘tobacco’ without touching the benefits for tobacco companies.”

The tobacco industry has a long history of using trade agreements to attack public health measures aimed at reducing tobacco use. Last year, the United States lost its final appeal in a suit brought under World Trade Organization rules by Indonesia over a U.S. ban on flavored cigarettes, including candy flavors clearly aimed at children. The case was a wake-up call for the U.S. public health community about the dangers to tobacco regulations posed by a web of trade obligations.

The draft TPP will make it even easier for governments to be sued for their tobacco regulations. Unlike the WTO, corporations will have the right under the TPP to directly sue governments, without the need of a state sponsor. Similar suits have already been leveled against a number of countries, including Australia, Uruguay, Norway and Turkey.

- See more at: http://ash.org/obama-goes-to-bat-for-big-tobacco-in-tpp/#sthash.SnUoduZ6.dpuf

[cali]

3. Normally, I really like Johnson on the TPP but I think he grossly underestimates

the opposition to the TPA in the House. I understand that he's trying to galvanize opposition, but a little history would be nice: The TPA was defeated under Clinton and passed in 2002 in the House, by 3 votes. There is a lot of opposition to it in the House at this time. Yes, there is heavy lobbying and there will be major arm twisting, but an odd coalition has formed that stands a good chance of blocking passage in the House.

[Divernan]

4. Let us back up the opposition with calls to our respective Congresspersons!

The key is whether there will be authorization for a fast track - straight up or down vote on the TPP. If there is, it provides cover for congresspersons on individual issues within the TPP. The vote on Fast Track is currently expected to occur in September (before the provisions in the TPP have even been finalized. There is a, pardon my language, shitload of money from all those huge corporate interests to be spread among the politicians.

[cali]

7. absolutely. I've done it.

and I definitely encourage others to.

[antigop]

5. and who played a leading part in drafting the TPP? Hillary Clinton.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=67554

[cascadiance]

6. Fits right in with her full support of growing H-1B "indentured servant" program here...

... and keeping many of us IT folk here like me unemployed if and when that immigration bill loaded with that crap gets passed.

And we want to predeclare her our candidate for 2016????

NO THANKS!!!

[valerief]

11. ^^^THIS^^^

[KG]

8. both parties will do their best to grease the rails...

[cali]

9. well, that's certainly true of the leadership, but both sides have rebellions to deal with

and not minor ones

[pampango]

15. You are right, Cali. Here's a link to an Atlantic article regarding this rebellion.

Executive-power-wary Tea Partiers and labor-aligned Democrats could block "fast-track" authority for two huge agreements.

It is generally agreed that the Obama will not be able to conclude the TPP and TTIP negotiations unless Congress grants him Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) -- commonly known as "fast-track" -- which guarantees that Congress will hold a straight up or down vote on any trade agreement the president negotiates.

When Congress grants TPA to a president, the authorizing legislation always includes negotiating objectives. This is a reminder to the president that he is acting as a delegate from Congress. The negotiating objectives themselves, however, often become the major point of contention. It was a battle over labor and environmental standards, for example, that prevented the House from granting President Clinton fast-track authority in 1998.

In the Senate, Democrat Max Baucus is already leading the charge for the renewal of TPA. He can expect significant Republican support, but may have some trouble corralling members of his own party. Democrat Sherrod Brown, whose power base in Northeast Ohio's Rust Belt remains upset about the 1994 NAFTA, has already expressed reservations. And since fast-track authorization is subject to filibuster, Obama may need all the votes he can get.

The battle in the House might be even more interesting. ... One can easily see an odd alliance in the House between progressive Democrats, who reflect the concerns of organized labor, and Tea Party Republicans, who don't want to give power away to the president. Even Rep. Darrell Issa, usually a free-trade advocate, might oppose it because of suspicions about the secretive nature of the TPP negotiations.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/the-odd-bipartisan-coalition-that-could-sink-obamas-free-trade-legacy/276938/

[mtasselin]

10. when

When are the people of America going to wake up and start paying attention to this TTP piece of shit legislation. It is going to destroy America in ways that we can't even imagine, why can't we get anyone in the main street media to talk about it?

[valerief]

12. Uh, cuz the multinationals control the MSM. nt

[MisterP]

19. when "Dems" stop saying the 4th Amendment is only for Koch puppets

we're given three choices: two big-corporatist parties and an astroturf petty-corporatist right-libertarian "movement"; Spitzers, Kochs, Kucinichs, Graysons, and Warrens are barely on the menu

[freedom fighter jh]

13. Why doesn't this need ratification by 2/3 of the Senate?

Isn't this a treaty? By the Constitution, that requires ratification by 2/3 of the Senate.

[cali]

18. No. The TPA is trade promotion authority (fast track) and it is not a treaty

neither, for that matter are trade agreements treaties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_track_%28trade%29

[Scuba]

14. Secret government, secret treaties, secret laws, secret courts, secret spying ... what a democracy.

[xchrom]

16. indeed. nt

[bluedeathray]

21. My God yes.

Our elected representatives are (continuing to) sell(ing) us out to corporate interests who have only one goal.

And every sane person realizes money won't get us out of the hole we continue to dig.

[Egalitarian Thug]

22. I'm thinking some young talented comedian can have a great career in Russia

in the not too distant future.

What would Yakov Smirnoff be in American?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

17. To paraphrase Sen Dick Durbin, the International Super-Rich own the place.

The Senators and Represenatives who want some of the action will push this through. Quickly and without serious opposition.

Naturally, we can expect to see this from the Republicans. I fully expect our 3rd-Way Democrats to be on board, as well as some Senators and Representatives who we've been told are liberals and progressives. I fully expect one Senator in particular who came out in support of the NSA spying, then finally sought to "reform" the law, to be on board.

[AzDar]

20. K & R

[limpyhobbler]

23. kick/rec.

[senseandsensibility]

24. k and r

But I thought Dems were against outsourcing?