Have you heard about the TPP? ALL of the TPP -- the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreements being conducted by corporate lawyers and lobbyists, far from the light of day -- on our behalf.
If not, one day you will, have "heard about it." Remember back, that at the time, much of the electorate thought too, that NAFTA was no big deal either -- when it was being negotiated by lawyers, to leverage those "untapped economic opportunities," elsewhere.
"Reducing the barriers to Trade" and "Making World Markets more efficient" -- what could be wrong with that, or so the glowing rationales went.
That was then, this is now, in our Post-NAFTA, Post-Gramm–Leach–Bliley world, where the result has been:
More efficient, for the privileged few.
Well the TPP is being called "NAFTA on Steroids" -- for some very good reasons. At least 29 of them as a matter of fact.
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Job Loss, Lower Wages and Higher Drug Prices
Public Citizen -- citizen.org
Have you heard? The TPP is a massive, controversial "free trade" agreement currently being pushed by big corporations and negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States and 11 other countries -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
[...]
In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could:
• offshore American jobs and increase income inequality,
• expose the U.S. to unsafe food and products,
• jack up the cost of medicines,
• roll back Wall Street reforms,
• sneak in SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom,
• ban Buy American policies needed to create green jobs,
• and empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards.
Although it is called a "free trade" agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPP's 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules.
The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to challenge public interest policies that they claim frustrate their expectations. The tribunals would be authorized to order taxpayer compensation to the foreign corporations for the "expected future profits" they surmise would be inhibited by the challenged policies.
[...]
As I said, very
much more efficient {Profits},
for the privileged few. ... For those neo-corporate benefactors with an inside-track, on the brand new TPP rights and rules.
Super-sized Corporate Rights, which we will one day learn to loathe.
[...]
The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve environmental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. [...]
When compared against other TPP chapters, the Environment Chapter is noteworthy for its absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures. The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions. With the exception of fisheries, trade in 'environmental' goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the Chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.
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Press release: Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) --
Environment Chapter -- wikileaks.org
-- Secret TPP treaty: Report from Chairs of Environment Chapter for all 12 nations -- wikileaks.org
[...]
The IP Chapter [Intellectual Property Rights] covers topics from pharmaceuticals, patent registrations and copyright issues to digital rights. Experts say it will affect freedom of information, civil liberties and access to medicines globally. [...]
Despite the wide-ranging effects on the global population, the TPP is currently being negotiated in total secrecy by 12 countries. Few people, even within the negotiating countries' governments, have access to the full text of the draft agreement and the public, who it will affect most, none at all. Large corporations, however, are able to see portions of the text, generating a powerful lobby to effect changes on behalf of these groups and bringing developing country members reduced force, while the public at large gets no say.
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Updated Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) --
IP Chapter (second publication) -- wikileaks.org
-- Table of Contents: Advanced Intellectual Property Chapter for All 12 Nations with Negotiating Positions -- wikileaks.org
And from Expose the TPP:
[...]
The governments won’t release the text to the public. But 600 mostly corporate U.S. “trade advisors” have full access. America’s worst job-offshoring corporations, global banks, agribusiness, and pharmaceutical giants want this deal to be another corporate power tool like NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Consumer, labor, environmental, and other public interest advocates want transparency in the process and a “Fair Deal or No Deal.” A few texts have leaked. It is not looking good. U.S. negotiators are pushing proposals that not only replicate the worst of NAFTA, but have championed outrageous new corporate-favored terms.
[...]
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TPP & Corporate Power -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- TPP & the Environment -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- TPP & Health -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- TPP & Buy American -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- TPP & Public Services -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- TPP & Women, LGBT Communities -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- Off-Shoring U.S. Jobs -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- Financial Regulations -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- Workers' Rights -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- Public Services -- exposeTheTPP.org
-- Democracy -- exposeTheTPP.org
As I said, one day {soon} we all will have "heard about it."
Especially if it passes in mass, without so much as, an open public debate -- about its goals, and intentions, and its supposed 'wealth-fostering' rationales.
Wealth-creation for Whom? ... still remains very much The Question.
The question, which all this secrecy is designed to prevent -- its simple asking.