U.S. Politicians Want to Fast-Track the Super-Secret, Super-Controversial TPP

[jakeXT]

It seems wrong to hate something that you’ve never read. Yet the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a globally significant free trade agreement being worked out in secret, is rewriting the rules in more ways than one.

The TPP is already being negotiated behind closed doors, but the situation could get worse. Late on Thursday afternoon, House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014. The bill would grant the White House fast-track authority, sometimes known as the "trade promotion authority,” to ratify trade deals.

If the bill passes, it would allow agreements like TPP to be ratified by a straight up-and-down vote, with no amendments allowed from the floor, and lawmakers would have to forgo procedural stalling tactics like the filibuster. That’s a great deal of oversight power for Congress to abdicate over a deal that not many people have even read.

Apart from a few corporations, most stakeholders and public interest groups have been unable to read the TPP drafts in full. Even those in government have complained that their staff cannot access the negotiating text. As Wisconsin Republican Mark Pocan said in reponse to the new bill: “Blindly approving or disapproving agreements that have largely been negotiated in secret would represent a derelict of duty for Congress. If there is nothing to hide in these agreements, we should be allowed to debate and amend these deals in the open.”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/01/10/tpp_negotiations_bill_would_allow_the_white_house_to_fast_track_the_controversial.html

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Another example unfortunately, of the president's Variance ...

between Promises and Actions .

[RKP5637]

3. And transparency! n/t

[global1]

2. So This Is Bipartisan?......

Isn't this strange? Usually the Repugs and Dems can't agree on anything and they take sides. Why is it with this - it looks like there's agreement from both sides of the aisle? Usually anything that this President wants is shot down by the Repugs. What gives?

[RKP5637]

5. When it comes to $$$$$ and enhancement of wealth, R=D! Below is some info from

Bill Moyers. If, this were a great thing and benefiting the majority, it would not be secret.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) stands at the top of the Obama administration’s trade agenda. The argument from its supporters is that this agreement is part of the never-ending quest for freer trade. The evidence from what we know of this (still secret) pact is that the TPP has little to do with free trade. It can more accurately be described as a pact designed to increase the wealth and power of crony capitalists.

http://billmoyers.com/2013/10/29/the-trans-pacific-partnership-a-trade-agreement-for-protectionists/

[orpupilofnature57]

7. + 1000

They've become a " Political Society " and they look at us as them, and their common goals are hinging on us being the only ones polarized .

[mtasselin]

6. not

This is not a bipartisan agreement by know means, they got one guy who pretends to be a democrat so sign on to this. He is on his way to become ambassador to China so he is doing whatever they want. I have been posting this about TPP for a year and it is amazing that so many people have no ides what you are talking about nor do they care, how sad. The president is selling out the American people that is the only conclusion that I can come, and that is what is bipartisan.

[pangaia]

21. Is Baucus the only so-called "Democrat" voting supporting this?

I agree, obviously, about the shit stink of this thing. "Free trade" always means bigger corporate profits on the backs of the poor.

[orpupilofnature57]

31. Corporate GREED making people poor .

[BobUp]

32. What gives?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

for those of us who might have missed last weeks news, 1/2 of congressional representatives are wealthy, at least worth $1.0 million.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/number-of-millionaires-in-congress-261/

http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html

This has got to be about lobbyists and how much was donated to congressional members to influence those people, after all, not much gets done without the help of lobbyists, yes?

[Live and Learn]

4. Starting to feel like this is a done deal.

Frightening.

[Demeter]

10. That's what they WANT you to believe, so that you stay home and shut up

But so was bombing Syria....we CAN stop it.

Besides, it takes two to tie a knot, and the rest of the world abhores this POS treaty.

[Live and Learn]

12. I would never stay home.

You can always count on me to put my 2 cents in, ad nauseum, even (just ask those that are forced to listen to me).

[Demeter]

17. That's the spirit!

See you on the barricades!

[TBF]

8. We can't talk about this enough -

the world is globalizing so quickly.

The short-term effect is that NAFTA took away so many jobs in this country, and TPP will take more.

If we can kill TPP it will at least slow things down.

In terms of long-term strategy we can see how the global leaders (owners) are paying less attention to borders in order to spread their capitalism far & wide (and profit from those efforts). As a fellow worker I have one word for everyone - ORGANIZE.

[madrchsod]

15. nafta created the the flood of mexicans into the usa

nafta destroyed mexican agriculture which was replaced by the drug cartel business. it stripped the united state`s industrial base and middle class. what has it been good for?..absolutely nothing

so thanks obama for selling out generations of americans. i`m pretty sure this would`t affect your family like it will mine

[TBF]

22. I think it will affect us all -

As to right now, it currently effects my cousins and siblings directly (working in minimum wage jobs in remaining industry/big box stores in the heartland of this country). I left my family and became professional level but I'm buried in student loans personally. I think if you look at the income inequality levels in this country many so called white-collared workers are not nearly as well off as some might think. How can they be when one family - the Waltons - controls over 40% of the wealth in this country.

What I think we'll see, based on how it's gone the past nearly 50 years that I've watched, is that it will continue in slow decline. Anyone who has paid attention since 1980 has seen the jobs moving. A factory closes, some people move, others take lower paying jobs, most lose health care, adjust to lower living conditions whether they like it or not.

I heard a telling interview with Bill Clinton awhile ago (may have been as much as a year) in which he stated (paraphrasing - I don't have exact transcript) that basically the US is stretched thin with the baby boom generation & after they die off (he was more politically correct of course) it will ease up and younger folks will move into remaining jobs - mostly technical oriented - and go forward. So the owner class view this as a blip. This is honestly how they think ...

I agree that the democrats do not have a plan for helping workers in this country in a real sense - they only ease the transition more than the republicans would (they try to keep some sort of safety net) and so we vote for them.

I can assure you that it is not my preference that this country remain capitalist. I would like to see a more resource based economy world-wide. I think that is about as much as I can say here. But I can assure you I hear you loud and clear.

[pangaia]

23. How did NAFTA destroy ther Mexican agricultural base?

A serious questions as I really don't know and could use the facts to argue with my repub acquaintances.

[bvar22]

29. NAFTA flooded Mexico with subsidized corn from the US.

After 20 Years, NAFTA Leaves Mexico’s Economy in Ruins

What in fact happened under NAFTA was that heavily subsidized U.S. corn flooded the Mexican market, putting millions of farmers out of work. Multinational corporations opened up factories creating low-wage jobs at the expense of organized labor and the environment. This, in turn, drove waves of migration north.

<more>

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/after_20_years_nafta_leaves_mexicos_economy_in_ruins_20140109

[pangaia]

33. Thanks, bvar...

Sick...

[CanonRay]

9. I keep reading how one, lone Senator can stop anything in the Senate

so why doesn't Bernie Sanders or Sherrod Brown just say no f'ing way?

[jtuck004]

11. Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.

I have been talking with others, sharing what I can find, and this just really, really pisses people off.

Take a look at these people: http://www.exposethetpp.org/index.html Think they might be influenced by the outcome of this? Who do you think they might have voted for? Who do you think they will vote for if this is signed? Will they even vote, or ...?

More importantly, how many other people will they influence? I get the distinct impression that there are more joining in every day. That could be a measurable impact.

I wonder how many phone polls are mentioning it, or when they will start?

The next election after this corporate welfare program is signed has the potential to be very interesting.

[madrchsod]

13. "the giant sucking sound"

two of the most destructive trade treaties will be penned by so called liberal democratic presidents.

[malthaussen]

30. Hillary Clinton has had a major role in writing the TPP from the beginning...

... might make one wonder how much of a hand she had in drafting NAFTA.

-- Mal

[pangaia]

25. This and the poison water in WV.

[Triana]

16. Heard damn Penny Pritzger on NPR yesterday

Basically supporting this thing ie: "free trade" - claiming it will create jobs here. HA! She has to be one of Obama's worst nominees.

[Demeter]

18. She paid for his election

Maybe Obama is one of her worst purchases?

Either way, they was each other's back.

[Triana]

19. Grossly unfortunate.

For her, Obama was a great purchase. He got her a spiffy job.

[TBF]

24. Penny Pritzker's family owns Hyatt -

She is not working class and is not a friend to us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pritzker_family

[pangaia]

26. Shit..

Shit shit shit..

It's a bottomless pit....

NPR has become a laughing stock, except for Ira Plato and the local classical station...
shit shit shit..
arrgghh..
sorry-- having my coffee... a double Americano, made at home with FAIR TRADE coffee beans..

[Enthusiast]

20. K&R. If the TPP is so wonderful why is it secret?

It's total bullshit.

[democratisphere]

27. More secret society crap.

What the hell ever happened to the 90% of 'We the People's' voice?

[gtar100]

28. Of course they want to fast track it. Because they know it's wrong.

This trade deal would be our greatest shame yet when it comes to giving the country over to corporate power. Say goodbye to democracy, what little we have left of it.

[YoungDemCA]

34. So much for "pragmatism" and "incremental progress"

What a sham.