.
Have you heard about The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) yet? Neither did most of our elected officials until recently a secret draft was leaked that showed corporations having unprecedented special rights. So what else is new you say? This new international agreement is Citizens United on steroids. It states that transnational corporations setting up shop in the US, and any other country belonging to this partnership will be able to challenge their own laws and regulations. If we don’t like what the corporations are doing like polluting the environment an international tribunal will decide who wins. That tribunal will have the power to overrule US law and could impose trade sanctions on the United States if they didn’t do what they are told. Can you say “One world government?”
The TPP could get rid of existing laws and prevent new progressive laws from being implemented in the future. The agreement could give corporations patent control over medicines and seeds. You think your meds cost a lot now? Want to pay $5 for a genetically modified banana? The financial institutions could do as they please with our hard earned money without worrying about those pesky regulations.
This so called Trans- Pacific Partnership Agreement has nothing to do with free trade, and everything to do with giving corporations carte blanche over the lives of every single person in the world. There are eight nations who have joined so far and it looks like Mexico will jump on board next. Thank you very much, President Obama for courting them. Is this the change you were talking about in that eloquent speech you gave four years ago?
This is very bad news not just for the poor, the middle class, the Democrats or Republicans. It will affect the lives of everyone on the planet. This isn’t some science fiction movie. It’s real and coming, unless WE the Citizens of Planet Earth do something about it! Want to know what you can do? There’s a workshop happening tomorrow Wednesday in San Diego;
h ttps://www.facebook.com/messages/1037134190#!/events/386079468116572/
Get involved and carpool, take a train or bus and go to San Diego July 2nd. The TPP are meeting at the San Diego Hilton. Make your voice heard! Click on the link for more information and share this with your family and neighbors.
https://www.facebook.com/messages/1037134190#!/events/463272507034625/
OK, I rely on various conservatives here to help us determine the truth of accusations like this through their sources in right-wing radio land and such, so tell me: is there any reason to think that this is not as serious and significant as it seems? Because it looks to me that the U.S. government is saying “challenge any law (usually labor or environmental standards) that holds you back from maximizing your profits at whatever cost to your workers, etc., and we’ll side with you. Is there some other way to view this?
From what i just read on the US Trade Representative’s website (link at the bottom), I don’t see anything about the above discussion with regards to special rights and the ability to override US laws. Perhaps the author can provide the “secret draft” that was leaked so we can all read it for ourselves and see if that is what is indicated in it? I have faith that our elected leaders would do what is right, but we all know that is not always the case. It also appears that the Obama administrative is pushing for the TPP.
It appears that the event in SD is allowing for limited press credentials, so perhaps OJ could have a press rep there (see http://www.ustr.gov/tpp), although it looks like most of the meetings are closed to the press.
Here is the link on the Us Trade Rep’s site, although I believe that this is from November 2011 (from the link’s address), so who knows what has changed from then and what else is “in the works”:
http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/fact-sheets/2011/november/outlines-trans-pacific-partnership-agreement
I think the funniest part of your comment is “I have faith in our elected leaders”.
Do you have access to newspapers or television or do you live in a cave? Here is the information you asked for and I would LOVE to get a seat with the press in San Diego. Vern, are you listening?
http://infojustice.org/archives/26384
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Leaked-TPP-Investment-Analysis.pdf
I think the funniest part of your comment is “I have faith in our elected leaders”
Yeah, I was wondering if that was a typo? Especially since he immediately comes back to reality in the same sentence.
Vern is always listening.
I will figure out how to send you. If we weren’t considered serious press before, that’s changing. I’ve been getting contacted by lots of important people over our 405 toll lane coverage.
Awesome Vern! My bag is packed and ready to go.
And Mika is all registered and ready to go! Watch July 2 for special live coverage. Thanks for the link, TJ. You’re our bestest commenter!
Come on, Vern, we love all of our commenters equally, except some of them.
Excellent…glad that I could help!
Poor choice of words on my part, although in your quoting of me is also off as the 2nd half of that sentence is key…what I was trying to get across was more in line with “I WISH THAT I COULD have faith in our elected leaders, but we all know that is not always the case.” Note that the last half of the sentence is also key in my doubting that our leaders do the right thing. Essentially, I wish I could, but we can’t.
Thank you for the links…I honestly googled for a bit prior to my post above and did not find the actual leaked document yet just found other mentions of it. 52 pages- too many for me to read right now. The one comment form the Public Citizen’s letter that I found most interesting (it was on the first page so I did read it) and likely agree extensively on is: “The leaked text provides stark warnings about the dangers of “trade” negotiations occurring without press, public, or policymaker oversight.”
I don’t really read a whole lot of newspapers (I don’t think I am alone in that anymore) nor do I watch a lot of TV, especially not in the past 6 months or so. Some in my family say that our house is way too small and the lighting needs improved, but I tend to be happy with what I have and can afford. Despite that, I am OK in responding to sarcastic comments with real answers.
Glad that you found the press part of my post helpful…go for it!
How many times have I said one thing meaning another? Too many to count! I have been a card carrying smartass since the third grade. Don’t take it personal. And I wish I was wrong and we could believe those individuals we elected were making decisions on our behalf. Thanks for being good sport.
UPDATE:
http://www.citizenvox.org/2012/06/21/can-you-say-%E2%80%9Cdeja-vu%E2%80%9D-in-spanish/
http://blogs.canada.com/2012/06/19/secret-documents-show-how-hard-conservative-government-lobbied-to-get-into-tpp-talks/
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/06/21-10
Another update – Mika is NOW going to use her real first name blogging here: INGE. See our new improved (under construction) “About the Orange Juice Blog” up top.