If you are a Democrat, but against Free-Trade deals like the disastrous NAFTA, then you will want to pay attention to this. Wikileaks just released 17 documents related to a Classified Free-Trade Deal that was negotiated in secret, drafted in secret, and as of yet, not once mentioned by President Obama, Congress, or the Media.
TISA, the third and likely largest of the three trade deals under negotiation, is quite possibly also the most dangerous of the three. The entire document was recently published on twitter by Wikileaks, and remains accessible to anyone with internet access. But if you don't feel like reading it all, I'll sum it up for you here.
The new TISA Free-Trade deal is aimed at privatizing the Services industry. It includes Air Travel related services, Postal services, telecommunications and various other sectors related to the services industry. It is under negotiation with the US, the EU and 23 other countries. This deal, which I've read through, is likely to be more disastrous than any previous Trade agreement.
Here is the whole press release as it appears on Wikileaks. For the full Documents, Click Here.
WikiLeaks releases today 17 secret documents from the ongoing TISA (Trade In Services Agreement) negotiations which cover the United States, the European Union and 23 other countries including Turkey, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Taiwan & Israel -- which together comprise two-thirds of global GDP. "Services" now account for nearly 80 per cent of the US and EU economies and even in developing countries like Pakistan account for 53 per cent of the economy. While the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has become well known in recent months in the United States, the TISA is the larger component of the strategic TPP-TISA-TTIP 'T-treaty trinity'. All parts of the trinity notably exclude the 'BRICS' countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The release coincides with TISA meetings at the ministerial level at the OECD in Paris today (3–5 June). The 'T-treaty trinity' of TPP-TISA-TTIP is also under consideration for collective 'Fast-Track' authority in Congress this month.
The TISA release today follows the WikiLeaks publication of the secret draft financial services annex of the TISA negotiations on 19 June 2014 showing the aim to further deregulate the financial sector, despite widespread consensus that lack of oversight and regulation was the main cause of the last global financial crisis of 2008. Today's release confirms the ongoing determination to deregulate. Furthermore, standstill clauses will tie the hands of future governments to implement changes in response to changing environment.
Today's release is the largest on secret TISA documents and covers numerous previously undisclosed areas. It contains drafts and annexes on issues such as air traffic, maritime, professional services, e-commerce, delivery services, transparency, domestic regulation, as well as several document on the positions of negotiating parties. WikiLeaks has also published detailed expert analysis of the topics covered in today's release.
All of this makes President Obama's request for Trade Promotion Authority far more dubious. If it's good for our economy, than why is he keeping a lid on the largest trade deal under negotiation? Why is it that President Obama doesn't want us to know about his intention to push through a third agreement?
Probably because most people would reject it. TISA privatizes over two thirds of Global GDP. It puts vast restrictions on any signatory's sovereign right to regulate the largest sector of their economy. Not to mention what that means for the Environment and progress on Cimate Change legislation or regulation. As for telecommunications, our current large Corporations give us trouble now, what will this do to the internet and Cable?
Across the country, Unions and Progressive groups have united in their push to block the President's Trade Promotion Authority request. Democrats, led by Elizabeth Warren and the House Progressive Caucus, joined by some of the more Conservative Republicans, have been fighting to block the President's TPA request. Even Hillary Clinton has yet to endorse it, which is a good sign the effort is working.
Trade deals have been losing popularity with voters. And why wouldn't it? As of today, the flight of well-paying jobs to third-world countries has yet to be halted. Promises by former President Bill Clinton that NAFTA would transform our economy have proven true, though not the way that most voters were looking for.
The idea that if we just privatize the rest of our economy we'll have growth, and we allow Corporations to move freely between borders, even as immigration is strictly controlled, is patently false. Furthermore, the idea that if we give those same Corporations the power to sue Government over any regulations that hurts profits, is equally absurd.
No amount of further deregulation can bring well paying jobs back to America. And the audacity of a President that partially ran against Free-Trade deals to negotiate three with no input from Congress, let alone ordinary Americans, is nothing less then frightening.
As the New Republic wrote:
The deal would liberalize global trade of services, an expansive definition that encompasses air and maritime transport, package delivery, e-commerce, telecommunications, accountancy, engineering, consulting, health care, private education, financial services and more, covering close to 80 percent of the U.S. economy. Though member parties insist that the agreement would simply stop discrimination against foreign service providers, the text shows that TiSA would restrict how governments can manage their public laws through an effective regulatory cap. It could also dismantle and privatize state-owned enterprises, and turn those services over to the private sector. You begin to sound like the guy hanging out in front of the local food co-op passing around leaflets about One World Government when you talk about TiSA, but it really would clear the way for further corporate domination over sovereign countries and their citizens.
To Read the full
New Republic article, click
Here.
There is also a video on TISA by The Real News.com
Share this information with everyone you can. The only way we are going to stop these bad deals is by educating the public, sharing the information to everyone we can, and by taking a stand against Corporate Greed.