Thread: Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Corporate Power-Tool Of The 1%

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Corporate Power-Tool Of The 1%


Nile Bowie
Activist Post

One of the least discussed and least reported issues is the Obama administration’s effort to bring the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement to the forefront, an oppressive plurilateral US-led free trade agreement currently being negotiated with several Pacific Rim countries. Six hundred US corporate advisers have negotiated and had input into the TPP, and the proposed draft text has not been made available to the public, the press or policymakers.

The level of secrecy surrounding the agreements is unparalleled – paramilitary teams scatter outside the premise of each round of discussions while helicopters loom overhead – media outlets impose a near-total blackout of reportage on the subject and US Senator Ron Wyden, the Chair of the Congressional Committee with jurisdiction over TPP, was denied access to the negotiation texts. “The majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations — like Halliburton, Chevron, PhRMA, Comcast and the Motion Picture Association of America — are being consulted and made privy to details of the agreement,” said Wyden, in a floor statement to Congress.

In addition to the United States, the countries participating in the negotiations include Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. Japan has expressed its desire to become a negotiating partner, but not yet joined negotiation, partly due to public pressure to steer-clear. The TPP would impose punishing regulations that give multinational corporations unprecedented rights to demand taxpayer compensation for policies they think will undermine their expected future profits straight from the treasuries of participating nations – it would push the agenda of Big Pharma in the developing world to impose longer monopoly controls on drugs, drastically limiting access to affordable generic medications that people depend on. The TPP would undermine food safety by limiting labeling and forcing countries like the United States to import food that fails to meet its national safety standards, in addition to banning Buy America or Buy Local preferences.

According to leaked draft texts, the TPP would also impose investor protections that incentivize offshoring jobs through special benefits for companies – the TPP stifles innovation by requiring Internet service providers to police user-activity and treat small-scale individual downloads as large-scale for-profit violators. Most predictably, it would rollback regulation of finance capital predators on Wall Street by prohibiting bans on risky financial services and preventing signatory nations from exercising the ability to independently pursue monetary policy and issue capital controls – signatories must permit the free flow of derivatives, currency speculation and other manipulative financial instruments.


The US-led partnership – which seeks to impose ‘Shock and Awe’ Globalization – aims to abolish the accountability of multinational corporations to the governments of countries with which they trade by making signatory governments accountable to corporations for costs imposed by national laws and regulations, including health, safety and environmental regulations.

The proposed legislation on Intellectual Property will have enormous ramifications for TPP signatories, including Internet termination for households, businesses, and organizations as an accepted penalty for copyright infringement. Signatory nations would essentially submit themselves to oppressive IP restrictions designed by Hollywood’s copyright cartels, severely limiting their ability to digitally exchange information on sites like YouTube, where streaming videos are considered copyrightable.

“Broader copyright and intellectual property rights demands by the US would lock up the Internet, stifle research and increase education costs, by extending existing generous copyright from 70 years to 120 years, and even making it a criminal offense to temporarily store files on a computer without authorization. The US, as a net exporter of digital information, would be the only party to benefit from this,” said Patricia Ranald, convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network.

In the private investor-state that the TPP is attempting to establish, foreign corporations can sue national governments, submitting signatory countries to the jurisdiction of investor arbitral tribunals, staffed by private sector attorneys. International tribunals could have authority to order governments to pay unlimited cash compensation out of national treasuries to foreign corporations and investors if new or existing government policy hinders investors’ expected future profits.

The domestic taxpayer in each signatory country must shoulder any compensation paid to private investors and foreign corporations, in addition to large hourly fees for tribunals and legal costs. A good example of how this agreement neuters national sovereignty comes from Malaysia, which was able to recover from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis more quickly than its neighbors by introducing a series of capital control measures on the Malaysian ringgit to prevent external speculation – the TPP’s proposed measures would restrict signatory nations from exercising capital controls to prevent and mitigate financial crises and promote financial stability.

The TPP regime ensures that foreign investors and multinational corporations retain full rights to undermine the sovereignty of participatory nations by skirting domestic regulations and limiting the abilities of national governments to issue independent economic policy. There has never been such a sweeping corporate assault on sovereignty, and that includes US sovereignty. Leaked TPP documents detail how the Obama administration intends to surrender US sovereignty to international tribunals that operate under World Bank and UN rules to settle disputes arising under the TPP, specifically designed to leave Congress out in the cold while creating a judicial authority higher than the US Supreme Court.

In theory, the TPP would give international judicial entities the authority to override US laws, allowing foreign companies doing business in the United States the privilege of operating in a legal environment that would give them significant economic advantages over American companies that remain tied to US laws, placing domestic companies who do not move offshore at a competitive disadvantage.

Facing the emergence of strong developing economies like the BRICS group and other nations that seek greater access to industrial growth and development, the Obama administration realizes that it must offer Pacific nations – who would otherwise have greater incentives in deepening economic ties with China – an attractive stake in the US economy. As the Pentagon re-positions its military muscle to the Asia-Pacific region, the TPP is clearly the economic arm of the ‘Asia Pivot’ policy, roping strategic economies into a legally binding corporate-governance regime, lured in by the promise of unfettered access to US markets.

The Obama administration is essentially prostituting the American consumer to foreign corporations to usher in a deal that would impose one-size-fits all international rules that even limit the US government's right to regulate foreign investment and the appropriation of natural resources, solidifying a long-discussed model of finance capital-backed global governance.

Of the 26 chapters of the proposed TPP draft text, it is reported that only two chapters cover trade issues, related to slashing tariffs and lifting quotas. The TPP would obligate the federal government to force US states to conform state laws to over a thousand pages of detailed stipulations and constraints unrelated to trade – from land use to intellectual property rights – authorizing the federal authorities to use all possible means to coax states to comply with TPP rules, even by imposing sanctions if they fail to do so.

According to leaked documents, US standards for property rights protection would be swept away in favor of international property rights standards, as interpreted by TPP’s unelected international tribunals, giving investors principal control over public land and resources "that are not for the exclusive or predominant use and benefit of the government."

Due to the unconstitutional nature of the TPP, members of Congress would likely object to many of its stipulations – naturally, the Obama administration is employing its executive muscle to restrict congressional authority by operating under “fast-track authority,” a trade provision that requires Congress to review an FTA under limited debate in an accelerated time frame subject to a yes-or-no vote so as to assure foreign partners that the FTA, once signed, will not be changed during the legislative process.

No formal steps have been taken to consult Congress as the agreement continues to be negotiated, and Obama looks set to subtly ram the treaty into law. Such is the toxic nature of US policies that seek to bring in disaster-capitalism on a global scale, while keeping those whose lives will be most affected by deal completely in the dark. The message behind this unfettered corporate smash and grab is simple – bend over!


Recent statistics claim that the combined economic output of Brazil, China and India will surpass that of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States by 2020. More than 80% of the world's middle class will live in the South by 2030, and what a different world that would be. The United States is economically ailing, and the TPP – Wall Street’s wet dream and Washington’s answer to its own dwindling economic performance – is designed to allow US big business a greater stake in the emerging Pacific region by imposing an exploitative economic model on signatory nations that exempt multinationals and private investors from any form of public accountability.

The TPP’s origins go back to the second Bush administration, and it still remains in the negotiating phases under Obama’s second administration. The overwhelming lack of transparency surrounding the talks lends credence to what is known already – that the contents of this trade agreement serve the interests of those on the top of the economic food chain while the rest of us stagnate on the menu.

Nile Bowie is an independent political analyst and photographer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com or through his website here.

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/04/...corporate.html


It is all about private and public business partnerships...the private gets the profits and the public gets the bills...well now it worked so well for the leftists whoops I mean elitists in this country they want it to go world wide.....all at our and every other living person in the world the can get to sign on to it. Private Public Partnerships(PPV) scan of this century almost as bad as crap and traitor..Awake Yet????

USTR Says TPP Must Be Kept Secret, Because The Public Is Too Stupid To Understand It

from the democracy-in-action! dept


While TPP negotiators had hoped to finish off the negotiations in Singapore over the past few days, it appears that did not happen, though they claim to have made substantial progress and will meet again next month. From the reports of people there, the negotiators made sure that public interest groups were excluded from even the press briefing about the negotiations, which should tell you all you need to know about what the negotiators think of the public. But, in case you weren't sure, the USTR, Michael Froman, has finally explained why the TPP negotiating positions must be kept secret. Apparently, all of us in the public, are too ****ing stupid to understand the important work that he's doing, and we might "misunderstand" it. Therefore, we peons must be kept in the dark, while important people like himself negotiate on our behalf. According to Jamie Love:

Froman said if the text was public, people would misunderstand "negotiating positions."

In other words, the USTR is not a fan of democracy.

If you think the public is too stupid to understand the public policy positions you're negotiating for, then you shouldn't be in that job.





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http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201...stand-it.shtml

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Stop The TPP - Important Action Items (Update)


Andrew V Pontbriand
Activist Post

The TPP, or Trans Pacific Partnership is on its way to being fast tracked this week, and could be pushed through via POTUS as soon as today.

The TPP, is one of the most secretive trade deals since NAFTA and GATT, that the Clinton Administration was largely responsible for, although it is well understood these plans go back many decades and are just now being primed to become operational.

WikiLeaks, has released two sets of documents concerning the TPP, in an attempt to release the information so people can become aware of what it is all about. You can find the first leak here.





It is now time to get on the phone and call your local representatives and congressmen, and make a fuss about the TPP as much as possible. Call floods, Twitter hashtags, Facebook posts, article write-ups, and even making short videos to share all over social media can help to slow down the nearly inevitable Trade Agreement that seeks to limit Internet Freedoms, among other viscous freedom-restricting provisions.

[UPDATE] Petitions and ACTION you can TAKE!!!
The Trans Pacific Partnership is our worst nightmare. It will affect everything from GMOs and labeling, food safety, environmental issues, public health, jobs, the Internet and much more and will give nearly unlimited power to the big corporations.

Call Leader Pelosi Today: tell her to speak out against Fast Track Trade Authority
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/pelosiTPP

Before Monsanto uncorks the champagne (773,074 sigs let's get to 1 million!)
http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_champagne_for_monsanto_b/

To governments worldwide: Promise to protect our democracies from corporate lawsuits, and stop the secret TPP and TTIP trade pacts.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/tpp-lawsuits/

Stop the Secret Trade Deal: the Monsanto Protection Act on Steroids!
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/stop_tpp_monsanto_protection_act_on_steroids/

TELL CONGRESS: DON’T TRADE AWAY OUR FUTURE, SAY NO TO FAST TRACK AND THE TPP!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/2002/p...tion_KEY=11766

Seven New petitions added December 2, 2013

U.S. President Obama: Make TPP Negotiations Transparent & with Full Citizen Participation!
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition..._Negotiations/

Tell our leaders: Don't sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/TPP3strikes/

Say no to corporate power grabs - reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership
http://campaigns.350.org/petitions/say-no-to-corporate-power-grabs-reject-the-trans-pacific-partnership

Stop the EU-US free trade agreement
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition...ade_agreement/

Don't sell out New Zealand's democracy. To all the governments negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/selling_out_nzs_democracy_a/?bBOMLab&v=31915

L.A. Times: Cover the TPP
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/la-times-shirks-the-tpp

Denver Post: Meet Obligation, Cover TPP
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/denver-post-meet-obligation

One Million to Stop the Corporate Death Star (719,001 signatures!)
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_corporate_death_star/

Urge Congress Not to Fast Track the TPP
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1034/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14411

Tell Congress: Don’t Fast-Track this Disastrous Trade Agreement
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12428

Write and Hold Your Representative Accountable! Is Your Representative Is One of Few Democrats Who Wouldn’t Say “No” to Fast Track
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/acti...tion_KEY=12350

Call and Ask Your Representative Today to Oppose Fast Track Trade Authority
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12307

Call Your Representative Today and Demand a Commitment to Oppose Fast Track Trade Authority:
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12267

No to Fast Track and Secrecy on the TPP!
https://www.causes.com/v2actions/1757660-no-to-fast-track-and-secrecy-on-the-tpp

Urge Congress Not to Fast Track the TPP
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1034/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=13921

Tell Congress: Don’t fast-track the Trans-Pacific trade deal!
http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14591

Oppose Fast Track Trade Authority
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12285

Do Not "Fast Track" the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership)
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...tion_KEY=12495

Congress: Don't renew "fast track" authority
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-dont-renew-fast

Demand Details and Oppose TPP Fast Track
http://hq-salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1987/p/dia/action/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=11536

Tell Congress: Say NO to "NAFTA on steroids" Say NO to fast-track trade authority:
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/fast_track

Congress Must Reject Fast Track Trade Authority
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12263

Do Not "Fast Track" the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership)
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1034/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12495

Stop The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - No Fast Track
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-the-trans-pacific

Urge Your Representative to Sign On to a Letter Opposing Fast Track Trade Authority
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12301

Protect people's health, oppose the Fast Track maneuver for the TPP
http://act.stopcorporateabuse.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14082

Find out if your representative is against Fast Track here:

Democrats: http://www.exposethetpp.org/DeLauro_Fast_Track_Letter.pdf

Republicans: http://jones.house.gov/sites/jones.house.gov/files/11.12.13%20Fast%20Track%20Letter.pdf

If they are, please thank them: http://bit.ly/1aTECnI

If they are not, please “spank” them: http://bit.ly/1hG0Hd2

Send a Letter to the Editor Demanding Coverage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
http://action.citizen.org/letter/?letter_KEY=1464

Tell USTR Stan McCoy To Stop Trading Away Lives For Profits In The TPP
http://www.popularresistance.org/tell-ustr-stan-mccoy-to-stop-trading-away-lives-for-profits-in-the-tpp/

URGENT: documents reveal that Trans-Pacific Partnership contains extreme SOPA-like Internet Censorship Plan
http://cms.fightforthefuture.org/tpp/

Don’t Let Them Trade Away Our Internet Freedoms: Speak Out Against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement!
https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8229

Keep the Trans-Pacific Partnership from changing our copyright laws
http://ourfairdeal.org/

Tell U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman to Stop Attacking Access to Lifesaving Medicines
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/tpp/

The Trans-Pacific Partnership would impose SOPA-style Internet censorship worldwide -- but we can stop it.
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/TPP3/

TPP is a mistake - mutual gain means regulated trade, not hands-off corporate access
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/884/537/714/tpp-is-a-mistake-mutual-gain-means-regulated-trade-not-hands-off-corporate-access/

Tell Congress: Stand Up for American Jobs and Freedom
http://act.americanjobsalliance.com/5516/tell-obama-no/

We still have time to kill the Trans-Pacific Partnership!
http://act.watchdog.net/petitions/4012

WE THE PEOPLE Demand Transparency and Full Participation in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Negotiations!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/we-people-demand-transparency-and-full-participation-trans-pacific-partnership-tpp-negotiations/zr6KMYqK

Tell Your Congressperson and Governor to Oppose NAFTA of the Pacific
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/2002/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7464

Urge Congress and Obama to Negotiate a New Trade Model that Delivers on Fair Trade Pledges
http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=3285

Tell President Obama We Need Transparency for the TPP
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/2002/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11175

Stop the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA): The Corporate Attack on Our Environmental and Consumer Safeguards
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12220

Tell President Obama and U.S. Trade Rep. Michael Froman: Trade Agreements Shouldn't Be Secret! TPP
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/...tion_KEY=11197

The Public Deserves to See What’s in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/acti...tion_KEY=12239

Tell the White House to Ensure Openness in the TPP's IP Chapter
http://www.publicknowledge.org/Tell-White-House-Ensure-OpennessTPP-IP-Chapter

Help Make Senators Aware of Trans-Pacific Partnership Secrecy - Request a Copy of the TPP Draft Text From Your Senators
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12152

Call Your Representative Today and Request the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Draft Texts
Request the TPP Draft Texts and Make Your Representative Realize Congress Is Also Being Kept in the Dark
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12146

Release TPP text to the Public
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/release-tpp-text-to-the

We Stopped SOPA -- Let's Stop the TPP:
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8365

No Back Room Deals for the 1%
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1034/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9842

Senate: Help end secrecy of Trans-Pacific Partnership - TPP
http://act.stopcorporateabuse.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=13460

Stop the Secret Trade Deals: the Monsanto Protection Act on Steroids!
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/stop_tpp_tafta_monsanto_protection_act_on_steroids/

Trade Deal Worse Than NAFTA
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6218

Oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/democrats-oppose-the

TPP: Terrible Plutocratic Plan - Trans-Pacific Partnership - Tell your representative, senators and the president to oppose!
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8036

If you are not from the U.S. go here:
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8043

Urge Congress to Stop Obama's Secret Trade Deals
https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=623

Tell President Obama to Make Trade Fair
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-president-obama-9

Tell Congress to oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership TPP
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/606/198/076/

Stop Secret Copyright Treaties
https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9357

Say No to Internet Censorship
https://openmedia.org/censorship

You could have to pay a fine for simply clicking on the wrong link. TPP
http://stopthetrap.net/

Monsanto Using Back-Door Trade Deal to Force GMOs into EU - To: President Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Froman - TPP
http://www.causes.com/actions/1755781-is-monsanto-using-back-door-trade-deal-to-force-gmos-into-eu

Stop Monsanto's Trojan Horse - To EU and US negotiators of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/monsantos_trojan_horse_b/

TPP - Petition | Green Party of Canada
http://www.greenparty.ca/tpp/petition

Urge the Canadian government to reject provisions being proposed in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement that threaten to restrict access to affordable medicines for millions of people.
http://msf.ca/tpp/

Tell Kansas lawmakers, "Vote NO" on Fast Track for Obama
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-kansas-lawmakers

Stop Fast Track in its Tracks - To Rep. Richard Nugent (FL-11).
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-fast-track-in-its

Stop the British Government joining the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-british-government-joining-the-transatlantic-trade-and-investment-partnership

TPPA — It's Not Right It’s Not Democracy. New Zealand
http://www.itsnotright.org.nz/

Don't Trade it Away! Australia
https://choice.good.do/dont-trade-it-away/release-the-tpp-text/

Suspend TPP Negotiations with Vietnam until Human Rights Abuses Are Resolved
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1034/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=13996

Click on map to see how your reps stand on the TPP. Also gives their Twitter Handles! http://www.pdamerica.org/tpp

If they don't show as 'Opposed' keep contacting them!

Make some Phone Calls! Send Emails! They probably help more than petitions!

Contact Your Representatives:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Call President Obama: 202-456-6213
Call your Representative: 202-225-3121
or Toll Free (877) 762-8762

Is Your Rep on the Wall of Shame? https://www.facebook.com/TPP.WallOfShame

Or the Wall of Honor?https://www.facebook.com/TPP.WallOfHonor

JOIN THE EXPOSE THE TPP - USA GROUP DISCUSSION
https://www.facebook.com/groups/613230272054928/

Join Your State Action Groups!
http://tinyurl.com/StateActionGroups

"LIKE" and Follow for News and Action Items!
https://www.facebook.com/ExposeTheTPP.USA
https://www.facebook.com/FlushTheTpp
https://www.facebook.com/TPPTuesdaysMarchOnMedia

Group for USA Territories - for residents of US Territories: Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Minor Outlying Islands:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TPP.USATerritories/

Group for INTERNATIONAL Discussion - for residents of countries OTHER THAN the United States. US residents that want to converse with international activists:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TPP.International/

In-depth information:
http://www.exposethetpp.org

http://flushthetpp.org

http://www.citizen.org/tpp

Use the following link to post these petitions to your favorite related facebook pages or in comments:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/susan...12394032249566

To Tweet: http://tinyurl.com/SecretTPP

#TPP #FlushTheTPP #ExposeTheTPP #StopTheTPP #TPPTuesdays #TAFTA #TTIP #hellnoTPP #StopTTPA #TPPMediaMarch #TPPPetitions #NOFastTrack

Andrew Pontbriand is an activist, researcher, radio show host, and writer for Intellihub, andThe Resistance Journals. Like his Facebook Page here

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/12/...or-action.html

Wikileaks TPP Revelations Prove US in "Left Field" With Trade Deal



Wikileaks TPP Revelations Prove US in "Left Field" With Trade Deal

Kevin Zeese: U.S. Trade Representative wants to keep the public in the dark because TPP will threaten food safety and raise drug prices, and many Asian countries involved in negotiations are also turned off by the deal - December 15, 13Bio

Kevin Zeese is co-director of It's Our Economy, an organization that advocates for democratizing the economy. He's also an attorney who is one of the original organizers of the National Occupation of Washington, DC. He has been active in independent and third party political campaigns including for state legislative offices in Maryland, governor of California and U.S. president, where he served as press secretary and spokesperson for Ralph Nader in 2004. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006 and was the only person ever nominated by the Green Party, Libertarian Party and Populist Party. His twitter is @KBZeese.
Transcript




Kevin Zeese: U.S. Trade Representative wants to keep the public in the dark because TPP will threaten food safety and raise drug prices, and many Asian countries involved in negotiations are also turned off by the deal - December 15, 13



Bio

Kevin Zeese is co-director of It's Our Economy, an organization that advocates for democratizing the economy. He's also an attorney who is one of the original organizers of the National Occupation of Washington, DC. He has been active in independent and third party political campaigns including for state legislative offices in Maryland, governor of California and U.S. president, where he served as press secretary and spokesperson for Ralph Nader in 2004. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006 and was the only person ever nominated by the Green Party, Libertarian Party and Populist Party. His twitter is @KBZeese.
Transcript

JESSICA DESVARIEUX,TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Jessica Desvarieux in Baltimore. WikiLeaks recently released documents which shed light on the status of ongoing TPP negotiations. The revelations demonstrate deep disagreement between the United States and negotiating parties on the issues of intellectual property, agricultural subsidies, and financial services. Joining us in-studio to discuss the TPP is Kevin Zeese.KEVIN ZEESE, CODIRECTOR, IT'S OUR ECONOMY: Good to see you.DESVARIEUX: Good to see you, Kevin. Just so our audience know, Kevin is the codirector of It's Our Economy, an organization that advocates for democratizing the economy. He's also an organizer with PopularResistance.org. Thanks for being with us. ZEESE: Glad to be here.DESVARIEUX: So, Kevin, just off the bat, can you just give us a sense of what the latest revelations actually reveal?ZEESE: Well, they revealed reality, and the reality is the opposite of what the U.S. trade representative says, which is not uncommon. The most recent revelations came out of the Salt Lake City meetings, which were about two weeks ago. And the revelations basically show that there was great divisions between the United States and basically every other country. We were out there alone, pushing for the most extreme pro-transnational corporate power positions, and the countries were resisting. And the memo--leak said, basically, they didn't see how there would been agreement reached. Then, after those leaks came out, there was another round of meetings in Singapore. And in Singapore, basically things didn't happen. They had planned, announced that they were going to finish their negotiations in Singapore, wrap up the agreement, and, in fact, it didn't happen. And now they're trying to plan for more negotiations in 2014, still hoping to make this happen, which we would like to see it actuall not happen. What's interesting is when the negotiations in Singapore failed, the initial statements by the U.S. trade rep were to blame WikiLeaks, that they caused dissension by letting out the facts, when in fact what WikiLeaks's documents showed, both leaks--that was the second leak I just described. There was one earlier about intellectual property. Both documents showed that the United States was basically being obstinate, it's out in left field where everyone else is in center field, it's refusing to negotiate, and it's trying to bully countries and really do unethical things. And so countries are resisting and they're saying, no, we're not going to do it. And so it's falling apart, and they blame WikiLeaks rather than themselves.DESVARIEUX: Yeah. And they're still, like, believing that they're not in left field and still saying that they're in center field. The U.S. trade representative has described the TPP as, quote, an agreement among like-minded countries. That was in an article that was published today in The Washington Post can you describe what the U.S. trade representative is actually hoping to achieve with these negotiations? And which domestic interests is he serving?ZEESE: Well, it's not like-minded countries. In fact, the economy's are very different between the United States and, say, Vietnam or Chili or Peru. You know, one of the big issues is the, you know, state-supported eterprises. You know. And, for example, Japan and Australia have a single-payer health care system. We don't. We have a market insurance based for-profit system, a commodity system. These countries instead have a system that's--it's a public-good health care, not a profit center. So we have a totally different approach. And you can see that in the negotiations. When you asked who are they trying to benefit, well, one of the big areas of conflict is the pharmaceutical issue. And the United States is really trying to make it very hard for pharmaceutical profits to go down. They're trying to prop them up with all sorts of protections, you know, patent protections, making it hard for generic drugs to come to the market. They're making it so that--long patents first that can be evergreened--if you change it slightly you can get an whole 'nother patent. And then if a generic wants to come to market, they can't use the research that was used to make the drugs proven safe and effective. They have to do it all over again. So it's, like, totally protecting these big pharmaceutical companies. And it's not just pharmaceuticals. They're talking about medical procedures. Medical procedures. That's ever been patented before. Medical devices. They're trying to allow patents on animals, they're trying to allow patents on, you know, anything they can patent in order to commodify it and make profits for corporations. That's what the United States is trying to do, even if that's illegal currently in many of these countries. So as opposed to being like-minded countries, what this agreement really is is an agreement between countries that are very different, with the United States being the most pro-corporate, the Obama administration putting forward the most pro-corporate agenda, trying to create laws that protect corporations in many, many ways. And we know that's happening, of course, because for the last four years it has been negotiated in secret, rather than Congress, which is constitutionally responsible for negotiating trade under the Commerce Clause--. Rather than Congress negotiating it, you have 600 corporations, who have been appointed by the U.S. trade representative to be advisers, they see it live on their computer screen. While it's a secret to everybody else, they see it live, and they're suggesting add this paragraph, take out that clause, add this section, take out that section. For four years we've had these corporate lawyers trying to write this agreement. So it's a very pro-corporate agreement. This is basically a gift to the transnational corporations. It's bad for U.S. entrepreneurs. It's bad for the internet. It's bad for food safety. It's bad for, you know, almost everything except for the profits of transnational corporations. It's the opposite of what we need. Trade could be designed to put people and planet before profits, but this one, instead it's all about profits just for a select few, the biggest businesses in the world.DESVARIEUX: Let's turn the corner a little bit, Kevin, and you talk about how trade could benefit, you know, the majority of people.ZEESE: Well, we can design trade that way. That's what so sad about it. You know, we've taken a very secretive approach. We don't have to do that. We can actually have an open and transparent approach. Here's what we should be doing. We should be setting a new framework. The framework should be a fair trade framework, as opposed to a rigged trade framework. Right now it's rigged for the corporations. We want a fair trade framework. Second, we need a process that's open and transparent and participatory, so that civil society can join in the discussions and talk about what they need, what the people need, what the planet needs, as opposed to what these corporate profiteers need. And we've done the opposite. We've taken the secret approach rather than the transparent approach. And then we should set some goals. And the goals should be, you know, protect the planet, provide for the necessities of the people. Those should be the goals of trade, to really create betterment for everybody. Instead what we have is an agreement where they create a bigger wealth divide. It's a wealth divide that, you know, will ensure that the top 5 percent get wealthier. But the bottom 90 percent of Americans, according to research by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, according to their research, the bottom 90 percent will get poorer while the top 5 percent gets richer. That's the opposite of what we need. Just today, in fact, research came out showing the United States is the most unequal country in the world as far as developed nations goes. We are in the class of the undeveloped nations, the most corrupt nations, as far as equality of wealth goes. And so we're the most unequal in the world. And now President Obama's pushing an agreement that will make it even more unequal.DESVARIEUX: How much do you think public awareness, the growing public awareness about the TPP, and, some could argue, even opposition, is really due to the WikiLeaks revelation and basically they're being challenged even further because there's this public opposition?ZEESE: Well, there's both public opposition and there's opposition by negotiating countries. So there's opposition coming from a lot of directions. There's also opposition coming from Congress. And there's no doubt, as the former U.S. trade representative Ron Kirk, who now is a lobbyist for transnational corporations--he left in January, went to become a lobbyist for big business interests. He was asked by the media, why do you keep this so secret? And the answer was: because the more people know, the less popular it will be. It'll become impossible to pass. And so their goal is secrecy. They want no one to discuss this and no one to know about it. So every leak helps. Now, there were leaks before WikiLeaks. There were leaks a year ago, a year and a half ago, that started coming out, we started to get some information. And all the news is bad. And what's good about the WikiLeaks leaks is that it's more relation recent, and so the negotiations are further along, so we're getting more further information. There are some very important chapters that, if they're leaked, will create such opposition that there's no way this will pass, for example the rights of corporations to sue governments in these rigged trade tribunals. I call them rigged because the judges will be three judges, all on leave from their corporate job, becoming judges voting for the corporation and then going back their corporate job. And what they can sue for is not just, you know, their losses, but they can sue for expected profits, for their expected profits. So if you, like, want to hydrofrack in Vietnam and you've started to make plans for that and you have massive profits from that coming, you hope, and Vietnam passes a law saying no to hydrofracking, they can sue Vietnam in this rigged court, rigged trade tribunal, and get massive damages of just fantasy profits. And so it's a really--you know, if that gets leaked, where that's ended up or how far that's progressed, that will create incredible opposition, because when people know--. And there's no appeal for those tribunals. You can't go to a real court. You're stuck with that resolve. And so the more people know about this agreement, the more it's going to become unpopular and the more opposition's growing. We're seeing a movement of movements developing. We're seeing people from labor, people from environmental activism, people from consumer activism, people from internet activism, from food, GMOs, they're all starting to come together and starting to say no to the TPP. We're seeing more and more countries standing up. More countries like Peru are calling for make the--share the contents with their people so people know what's going on. So there's a real growing opposition to this. I think it's a terrible mistake by the Obama administration--maybe not a mistake in his mind, because he's maybe trying to help his contributors, but it's a mistake for the planet and for the people. And we really hope the TPP gets defeated.DESVARIEUX: Alright. Kevin Zeese, organizer for PopularResistance.org, thank you so much for joining us.ZEESE: Thanks for having me.DESVARIEUX: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.



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