The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership), TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), and TISA (Trade in Services Agreement) are currently being negotiated behind closed doors all over the world. They all include ISDS a clause that allows a secret global court to arbitrate disputes between multinationals and the countries they operate in. This court meets none of the accepted standards of a judiciary and has the power to force governments to change laws or pay huge sums in compensation to companies. So we ask, is this the end of democracy?
Negotiations in Hawaii — Trade negotiators from the United States and 11 other Pacific nations failed to reach final agreement on Friday, 7-31-15.
1 - If you ask 25 people on the street what is the TPP or Trans .. 24 will not have heard of it, never mind knowing what it is ( try asking about it ...several times ). What's the plan to fix this ? ( are 110-120 million people needed? )
2 - Has anyone "focus grouped" TPP / Trade / issues professionally ( not "gut feel" )?
3 - At what point does the "community" sit down and evaluate current strategy / tactics that some have set? do they work ? Do they not work ? Why?
4 - Who's working on new tactics ( vs. more of the same )?
5 - Who's working on ( long overdue ) best legal challenges?
You can respond to these points on the discussion board here.
We might not see TPP in Congress until 2017 ... the votes on the past several trade "deals" get buried in the odd numbered years in hopes that voters won't notice. Of course they are not deals at all but are instead gifts to transnationals which buy legislators with Citizens United types of money.
Hillary knows that to get big money election support she must support TPP and so she is running away from TPP and she can be counted upon to comfort us that she will do what she can to keep TPP out of the 2016 election rhetoric/debate/etc. Thus, 2017 if not 2015 that is quickly ending because of
Recess schedules:
July 31 – September 7 House, August 8 – September 7 Senate,
September 19 – 27 House, October 10 – 18 Senate + House,
November 6 – 15 House, December 18 Target House Adjournment,
Target December 18 Senate Adjournment or tbd.
Ed Schultz is cancelled on MSNBC with last show 7-31-15. He has been the leading main stream media voice against TPP.
Many people think Comcast cancelled Ed as a way to silence talk/reporting about TPP. Obama may have had a hand in canning Ed who had challenged POTUS to a debate on TPP.
Mike Papantonio & Ed discussed this in detail June 2015 when Ed interviewed Mike. Comcast will be getting lots & tons of e-mail, thunderclaps/twitter storms/etc. about x-ing Ed.
Ring of Fire said on July 27th:
According to Media Matters, between August 1, 2013, and January 31, 2015, Ed Schultz covered the TPP on 71 different segments, not including the time he brought up the issue during the network’s coverage of the State of the Union Address in 2015. The only other host who mentioned the TPP during this same time period was Chris Hayes, who only mentioned it one time in passing on his show. The rest of the network’s personalities remained completely silent on the issue during this 18-month period.
Malaysia has terrible forced labor, environmental, wildlife trafficking, etc. Debt bondage is in palm plantations, electronics manufacture, domestic labor and people pay for jobs, yield possession/control of their own passports, etc.
Secretary Kerry will go to Malaysia to ramrod changes there so that the movement to resist including Malaysia in TPP will be de-fanged. Vietnam is barely better than Malaysia in these troubles. Peru is also weak in these regards. How can U.S. Obama & Kerry justify changing Malaysia from Tier 3 to Tier 2 status? (
see: dKos diary by
Richard Brook a half-hour ago). Malaysia should not get an upgrade to the "Watch List" status! Malaysian officials are 80% corrupt. Even their own top officials say Malaysia is like the Hotel California, you can check out but you can never leave. Its human rights are in free fall... Senator Menendez: get real!
Flush the TPP -- learn more here.
Make your Town, County, State a TPP-free Zone 10/29/2013: Madison says No to TPP. The city's Common Council passes this resolution. Which cities have gone TPP Free? This map shows which US cities and counties have passed TPP Free Zone ordinances or resolutions against Fast Track, TPP or other pending trade pacts.
Look for October 10-16 national actions against TPP.
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WHEREAS, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated between the United States and 12 or more Pacific Rim countries by the U.S. Trade Representative in secret without any consultation with our local government, either directly or through the National League of Cities or the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and
WHEREAS, the text is being drafted with advice from transnational corporations which will benefit greatly from its rules; and
WHEREAS, the TPP text has not been made available to the public or even to our local officials; and
WHEREAS, the Administration expects Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership under "Fast Track" procedural rules, which forbid Congress from amending it and which require an up-or-down vote in 60 days; and
WHEREAS, reports on the substance of the TPP indicate it would have direct, potentially undesirable consequences for our municipality, its people, its local businesses and its environment; and
WHEREAS, the Investment Chapter of the TPP, which was leaked in 2012, would allow foreign corporations to sue the U.S. and its states over any law or regulation which would reduce their future profits and, therefore, potentially rob the City of Madison of needed protections for our people, local businesses and environments, and such an agreement would represent an improper intrusion on the sovereignty of the states; and
WHEREAS, TPP financial rules would weaken or prevent regulation of risky financial products such as "interest rate swaps," thereby threatening the financial stability of our government and, more broadly, the stability of our overall economy; and
WHEREAS, U.S., state and local food safety rules could be challenged by foreign corporations as "illegal trade barriers" if higher than standards in the TPP, thus threatening the health of our residents; and
WHEREAS, the TPP would provide large pharmaceutical firms with new rights and powers to increase medicine prices and limit access to cheaper generic drugs, which would impact our residents; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. would agree to waive "Buy American" or "Buy Local" requirements aimed at enhancing our local economy and creating local jobs; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison would have no right or ability to represent its interests before the foreign tribunals which would have the authority to hear cases brought by corporations under the TPP; and
WHEREAS, such rulings might require taxpayer compensation, which could impact the financial health of the City of Madison and its residents; and
WHEREAS, "Fast Track" procedures make it impossible for our elected representatives to adequately study the Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty presented to them in order to determine if this proposed Agreement is in the best interests of the American people and our local residents; and
WHEREAS, this review is especially important since the Trans-Pacific Partnership will supersede current federal, state and local law and prohibit our representatives from taking certain actions to better our society and economy in the future;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Madison declares its opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because it will diminish the City's ability to act in the best interests of our residents, our work force and our local businesses and to protect our environment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Madison will convey this resolution to our Congressional delegation, to President Obama and to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, with our demand that the substance and text of the TPP be made public and that the TPP be re-written to promote the interests of workers, protect the environment and improve the quality of life in all participating countries.
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