Hightower tells it like it is and calls bullshit bullshit.

If we can't trust the President, then who can we trust??

He is a typical Chicagoan Politician...

During his first term remember how he loaded his cabinet with Wall St mafia members and other Republicans, Then he got out there in 2012 and told us the same Bullshit lies and by golly he got reelected and turned to his Republican ways again..
We were fooled twice.

A now he is pushing a Koch Bros, corporate mafia agenda.
Perhaps the Koch Bros and Wall St is giving him 50 mill each for his library and he gets to keep any extra?

That thing should've been put to rest 30 years ago.

This is an OPINION site, not a NEWS source. We come here to see what our friends & neighbors think about what's going on in the world. You want "facts"? Read a newspaper .... but do so CAREFULLY! Because while they CLAIM to deliver "facts", they do so with a spin toward what's profitable to whoever owns the paper.

In the case of the TPP, it will enforce copyright protections on intellectual property in signatory nations that do not recognize such niceties now, which media companies tend to think is a GOOD thing. So the general media spin will favor the deal.

Here is a fact for you, though, about the Investor/State Dispute Settlement process, included in this and many prior Free Trade Agreements. Australia and Ecuador, both of which have robust, single-payer health-care systems, are trying to encourage their populations to quit smoking. Both have recently passed laws stating that cigarette packaging must contain graphic images of the health effects of smoking (mouths with teeth falling out, cancerous lungs, etc.)

Both nations are being sued by the Philip Morris Corporation (makers of Marlboros, among other things), for cutting into their profits. Mind you, they are suing for the loss of money that they haven't yet MADE, but expect to, and worry that they might not. This lawsuit will NOT be conducted in ANY nation's courts, though. It will be conducted at the World Trade Organization, where both the prosecuting attorneys and the judges are CORPORATE LAWYERS.

Now, how do YOU think that suit will turn out, Vattel?

The argument in the OP makes assumptions that are too big for me. I would like to see those assumptions defended and that will be difficult to do effectively without appealing to facts.

parts of this thing. They are written by corporate lawyers who are trying to be obtuse, so it is a hard slog. But the things people are saying about the TPP on here are generally correct: it would in fact be bad for you and I (unless you have the majority of shares in a big multi-national corporation). It also dilutes the power of our government at all levels to have environmental, safety and wage/hour rules apply. Basically, a corporation can say that its plant in Your Town USA should be making more profits, but for those pesky regulations preventing them from ditching their waste in your river and capping their allowable fly ash emissions. It can then take the Your Town local government to task but not in court. It is an international arbitration body, and when they render a decision the Your Town government has no recourse in American courts. They can do this with union wage levels and benefits too.

Seriously.

So then the corporation is free to boost its emissions and dump its waste in your river and you cannot do anything about it.

I read the Wikileak. That's what it says. But you can, too. Just google it.

The other thing I don't much like is the Congress can go see the act in a basement room, but have to leave their cell phones with the guards, and cannot take staff or notes with them. But Obama's asking them for a fast track, and the Senate has now ended debate so the bill should go to floor soon.

The NAFTA has similar provisions of large corporations having the ability to sue for "loss of profits" if the host country has laws that they think are infringing on their ability to maximize profits. And I read the TPP will have even stronger provisions.

So a big American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is suing Canada for "loss of profits' because we in Canada have laws that allow generic versions of drugs to come to the market sooner than they'd like. These laws are, in part, why we enjoy lower drug prices.

Another fracking company is suing Quebec province because they instituted a moratorium on fracking.


Another article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/14/canada-sued-investor-state-dispute-ccpa_n_6471460.html

NAFTA's Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals:

There are currently eight cases against the Canadian government asking for a total of $6 billion in damages. All of them were brought by U.S. companies.

Many of those current challenges involve domestic environmental protections such as the promotion of renewable energies, a moratorium on offshore wind projects on Lake Ontario and Nova Scotia’s decision to block a contentious mega-quarry.

In one case, a Calgary headquartered company that is registered in the U.S., Lone Pine Resources Inc., is suing the Canadian government for $250 million over Quebec’s moratorium on natural gas fracking, which applies equally to foreign and domestic companies. Lone Pine argues it was not consulted before the ban nor compensated for its wasted investment or loss of potential revenue.


It works both ways...or all ways. A more progressive or environmentally sensitive country OTHER that the USA is also punished under these provisions when American corps set up shop in their countries, as it does when other less progressive countries corps set up shop in the USA. Its like perpetually cutting the legs off of a table to make it level. These kinds of deals will whittle down the table until it finally rests way down at the lowest possible standards for health, environment and labor rights...on a global scale.

I wonder if there's another lawsuit coming our way. Maybe none of ours are from Philip Morris .....

But there are lots of facts about it that are now available. Some of those facts worry me, but I just don't feel I have the expertise to make an overall assessment.

for years to come, is the MAIN reason why there should be no fast tracking of this bill. Once they get that, it is all over as far as changing anything in it that is bad for this country.

Iow, it should worry all Americans when their Representatives in Congress hand over their legislative powers to the Executive branch.

And since those powers will be going to whoever the next president is, 'trusting' this president doesn't enter into the picture. It is a six year period before it can revisited.

THIS is still, we are told, a country with three branches of Govt. To hand over all the powers of Congress to the Executive Branch, that in itself is more than enough reason to oppose it.

Added to which what we already know, even if that was all that was in it, the very fact that we are giving thousands of Multi National Corps the right to sue the American people if they don't like our laws, not even in our Courts, but in a Corporate Tribunal run by Corporate lawyers and judges, a simply INSANE handing over of our sovereignty to Entities whose only interests are PROFITS, can only be called what it is, a total Betrayal of this country.

And every Senator or Member of Congress who participates in this betrayal, will be the target of primary challenges and hopefully will be thrown out of the Congress they have so little respect for.

At this point we should not even have to guess at any of it.

Yesterday on the "Ed Show" it was revealed that under the NAFTA trade agreement that the United States was sued in one of these sham courts over the labeling of American beef with a sticker that shows that it was grown and processed in the United States. This bill by the way was passed by Congress in 2008 and signed by President Bush. If we failed to repeal the law then tariffs amounts to billions would be leveled against American beef. The Republican led Congress quickly convened and started legislation to repeal the law. I can site other examples but one would think that this would be sufficient to convince you. By the way American farmers could stand to lose millions because of this crap. Hope that you don't choke on the diseased beef that you will be ingesting.

this country does not consider the lose of its farmers a national security issue is beyond me.

Being able to feed your own people before you export should be the priority for all countries.

Unfortunately for most of the poorer countries that is not a choice they have - the IMF and the World Bank have made it for them -- they are now farmed by big multinational corporations and it all gets exported to people like us.

The implication is that there aren't enough facts for you to decide. But you are capable of looking up facts yourself and probably have and yet you don't present your facts to the discussion. Makes me think you are already convinced and "more facts" whouldn't make a difference.

I am not saying that there are not enough facts out there to have informed opposition to TPP. I was suggesting that Hightower's piece was pretty light on facts and heavy on rhetoric and exaggeration.

You are right that I could look up more facts myself. I confess that I have not studied this issue very much. You know, job, raising a kid, two cats, a dog, and a house that is constantly illustrating the second law of thermodynamics.

are interested and haven't already studied the facts. So I think you could understand that Mr. Hightower isn't trying to convince with facts. As I read this, it's his feeling about this apparent coup attempt by major corporations assisted by their politician puppets. I am always interested in new facts but also interested in the feelings of people that I respect.

As far as I know, no respected economist has come out in favor of this "Agreement".

stands or will stand on any issue, just ask Penny Pritzker.

...

... but also send them money.

Thanks Obama.

He's my favourite Texan, I wish he would run for governor. Not only that, but he's a great folksy communicator, too. Always gets his point across with a big belly laugh.

And he's dead right about the stink of horse sh!t from the TPP. Stay on the case Jim, this is a big ol' turd that needs flushing!

And if he came out to support Bernie at this point, I would instantly become suspect.

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I do not support TPP, if we are going to strike this down then we need to be willing to take a second look at our exclusionary dealings with China and come up with a coherent trade policy with the entire world... As it sits we only support unconditional free IMPORT dealings with China. I am unable to supply my goods and services TO China in an affordable manner and really cannot obtain small miscellaneous goods from any other country as affordably as China. We preach fair working environment and compensation but then shit money into China's mouth for cheap goods that far fewer educated Americans could make with much more sophisticated tooling.

It is about multinational corporate profits and power. I for one do not want these corporations to have more power.

Mucho gusto! TPP...Obama...muy mal!

I am not saying it's a good bill right now because to be honest it's not but why not use it though to get things we do need ?
For example a massive infusion in repairing the infrastructure and education like free college and hiring more teachers building more schools you know things that in the long-term can help a lot also a increase in spending on assistance for the poor, disabled and elderly.
Not to mention of course using it against the Republicans to kill the threat that they pose to programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and of course Obamacare.

No real pushback from the usual suspects yet but I suspect that will change.

I heard Alan Grayson talking on this yesterday, bless him, a rich guy who gets it and won't shill/defend the Wall Street democrats and their actions. Such as our new Attorney General...meet the boss, same as the old boss. Once again for all kinds of financial crimes multiple big banks just paid their way out of jail. The dollar amounts seem huge to us but it's like 15 dollars to most average people.

We don't mind legitimate criticism (and that is what ever we say it is),
but this constant BASHING is shameful and should NOT be allowed on a site named Democratic underground.

Thought I would get-it-in before anyone else.
It doesn't have to make any sense.