The TPP is deliberately shrouded in secrecy and will benefit corporations represented by the lobbyists doing the negotiating to the detriment of the American people.
NAFTA on steroids.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Trade Agreement for Protectionists
The first comment to the Moyers video was great:
If it’s such a secret, how is it that this website was left wide open for anyone to read?
Also, “NAFTA on steroids”? Aside from the US, the countries involved are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Basically, fairly small economies.
I’m down with the TPP.
Nice site. I tried to dig into it a bit to find out some details. I was not successful.
I see nice sounding general stuff like this at the government site:
But where’s the meat? Is this going to be a backdoor for SOPA?
Will US environmental and FDA controls be overridden?
Some concern is being expressed:
https://madison.legistar.com/ViewReport.ashx?M=R&N=Master&GID=205&ID=1492675&GUID=D4963C6A-D20C-4569-941C-1C85F08E610A&Extra=WithText&Title=Legislation+Details+(With+Text
Yeah, I know thee!
That’s what the illuminati want you to think.
Japan’s also negotiating to join.
They’ll be a shoe-in. They’ve already written the theme song:
*I wanna be the very best
Like no one ever was
To negotiate is my real test
To sneak around is my cause
I will travel across the land
Searching far and wide
Each oppressive environmental foreign tribunal to understand
The power that’s inside
TPP! it’s you and me
I know it’s my destiny…*
From the site above, FACT SHEET: Transparency and the Trans-Pacific Partnership : “As is common practice in U.S. free trade negotiations, when the TPP negotiations got underway in 2009, the United States and its TPP negotiating partners entered into a confidentiality arrangement reflecting the customary understanding between countries engaged in trade negotiations that the negotiations should be carried out in private. The understanding calls for each government to disseminate its negotiating proposals, as well as those it receives from its TPP partners, solely to government officials and individuals who are part of the government’s domestic trade advisory process.”
In other words, no, you cannot read it, unless you promise not to share it with anyone else!
And when it is finally done, the administration wants to get fast-track approval, a straight up or down vote by Congress.
So, yeah, this is a completely open and democratic process.
And since this is the pit - FUCK THIS SHIT! Fast-track and free trade agreements have been nothing but an end run around the legislative process. And fuck both the parties for allowing this to happen. This is where true bi-partisanship happens. Congress bitched in the 90s about it, only to re-approve it once Bush was in the White House. If Romney had been elected, I am certain he would have it by now also. Only because the House is full of ideological fuck-heads is why Obama does not have it, but once the full agreement is ready…
FUCK THIS SHIT!