We know how bad NAFTA was.
Let's not make a bigger mistake and allow Big Corporations to destroy our economy, our laws and our standard of living.
Please speak up now!
When I worked in the Clinton White House,
President Clinton was determined to push through the NAFTA trade deal with
Mexico and Canada, and he was successful in doing so. It was one of the worst
mistakes my old boss made- very few of the good things Clinton promised came to
pass, while most of the bad things opponents predicted (loss of manufacturing
jobs, lower wages in key sectors, food safety problems) did. Now a huge new
trade deal is being negotiated, and it looks like NAFTA on steroids in terms of
the harm it could cause.
Since 2010, the United States Trade
Representative has been negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) mostly in secret
– a law that would govern more than 40% of all of the United States’ imports and
exports. While the trade rep has been consulting a great deal with big business
over the provisions of the treaty, there has been very little transparency to
the general public or even members of Congress over what is being negotiated.
Now, supporters of the TPP want to “fast track” the treaty, meaning Congress
would have no power to amend any provisions.
The problem is, the TPP has a lot of
problems that haven’t been resolved. While we don’t know a lot of the details
because of the secrecy involved, leaks from the negotiations make it clear that
the TPP does not protect American jobs from being shipped overseas, and it
benefits corporations and the rich. According to Public Citizen, “The TPP would
mean wage losses for all but the richest 10% of U.S. workers.”
The TPP has numerous other problems as
well. The TPP excludes China from the negotiations, which would increase the
US/China trade imbalance. The bill would give stronger privileges to
pharmaceutical companies, allowing them to “ever-green” drugs and hold
monopolies on drugs. In addition, the TPP includes similar language to the
failed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act
(PIPA), in order to get around Congress’s oversight.
Mike Lux
American Family Voices
American Family Voices
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