Bernie Sanders: RT if you think the TPP should be stopped....

[Playinghardball]

https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoFastTrack?src=hash

[daleanime]

1. K&R.....

[SamKnause]

2. K&R

[haikugal]

3. K&R

[appalachiablue]

4. K & R

[Hoyt]

5. Bernie, Bernie, Bernie -- Be honest.

The TPP is a treaty that has been written behind closed doors by the corporate world -- Bernie Sanders.

The USTR and participating States negotiate and write the agreements, not corporations.

Below are the names of USTR’s lead negotiators for the TPP.

Overall Leads
Lead Negotiator Barbara Weisel
Deputy Lead Negotiator Drew Quinn

Chapter Leads
Agriculture Roger Wentzel
Ag Market Access Japan Brian Grunenfelder
Capacity Building Drew Quinn/Lia Theodosiou-Pisanelli
Competitiveness Drew Quinn
Competition/SOE’s Daniel Watson
Customs Jason Bernstein
Development Drew Quinn/Lia Theodosiou-Pisanelli
E-Commerce Jonathan McHale
Environment Kelly Milton
Financial Services Christine Bliss
Government Procurement Drew Quinn
Industrial Goods Sushan Demirjian
Intellectual Property Rights Probir Mehta
Investment Daniel Bahar
Labor Lewis Karesh
Legal/Institutional Issues María Pagán
Regulatory Coherence Drew Quinn/Lia Theodosiou-Pisanelli
Rules of Origin Jason Bernstein
Services Todd Nissen
SMEs Sushan Demirjian
SPS Sharon Bomer
TBT Julia Doherty
Telecommunications Jonathan McHale
Textiles Gail Strickler
Trade Remedies Victor Mroczka


Here is background of Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Labor --
Lewis Karesh was named Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Labor in August 2005. In this capacity, he oversees trade and labor issues for USTR, including serving as chief negotiator of labor provisions in multilateral, regional, and bilateral free trade agreements, formulating recommendations concerning countries' adherence to worker rights provisions of U.S. trade preference programs, and developing U.S. positions on the relationship between trade and labor in the International Labor Organization, World Trade Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor, and other relevant international bodies.

Prior to joining USTR, Mr. Karesh spent 18 years with the U.S. Department of Labor, most recently serving as Director of the Office of Trade Agreement Implementation (OTAI). As head of OTAI, Mr. Karesh was responsible for administering U.S. obligations under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (the labor supplemental agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement) and the labor chapters of bilateral and regional free trade agreements. While at the Department of Labor, Mr. Karesh served as the lead U.S. negotiator for the labor provisions of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement and on U.S. labor and dispute settlement negotiating teams for similar agreements with Chile, Singapore, Australia, Central America, and Bahrain.

Mr. Karesh also served as an attorney for nine years with the Department of Labor's Office of the Solicitor where he acted as a legal advisor during negotiation and implementation of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. He also served as legal counsel on matters involving the North American Free Trade Agreement, the World Trade Organization, and the International Labor Organization.

Mr. Karesh holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University.


Kelly Miltion -- Environment has primarily worked for government agencies, as well.


You guys can check out the other negotiators. Bernie should do the same.

[L0oniX]

8. You do know what a quote is don't you? Bernie did not say "corporations". Fail.

[Hoyt]

9. "The TPP is a treaty that has been written behind closed doors by the corporate world." -- B Sanders

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/the-trans-pacific-trade-tpp-agreement-must-be-defeated?inline=file

[Mnpaul]

23. Drew Quinn

Drew Quinn, CCIM, has 20 years of commercial real estate experience and specializing in Investment Property Brokerage and Consultation. Primarily focused on retail properties, representing both buyers and sellers, Drew’s expertise includes, Financial Analysis, Marketing, Financing as well as transactions involving sale/leaseback and 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange. Annually, Drew qualifies for the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors’ Multiple Million Dollar Club with transaction value exceeding $300 million dollars. ​

CLIENTS
Alpert Company, American Century Realty, American Identity, Baceline Investments, Bank of America Prime Wealth Management, Caymus Real Estate, Centro Properties Group, Copeland Development, Cosentino's Grocers, Country Club Trust Company, Dickenson Financial Corporation, Employers Reinsurance Company, Four B Corporation, J.A. Peterson Companies, Lexington Realty Trust, LNR Partners, Merrill Companies, U.S. Bank, Ward Development, Weingarten Realty, Westwood Financial, Zevitz Properties
http://www.colliers.com/drew.quinn

you were saying?

[Hoyt]

25. Besides your being wrong, you want "the rent's too high guy," negotiating (although I love him).

Besides, I think you have the wrong guy, or are you intentionally misleading people.

Andrew Quinn
Andrew Quinn began as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (for Southeast Asia and the
Pacific) in August 2012.  In that role he serves, inter alia, as the Deputy Chief Negotiator of the
Trans‐Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade and investment agreement, within the Office of the U.S.
Trade Representative (USTR).

Immediately prior to joining USTR, Mr. Quinn served as the Director for Asian Economic Affairs
on the White House National Security Staff, from September 2010 to August 2012.   In that
capacity he advised senior Administration officials, and coordinated inter‐agency policies, on
issues related to U.S.‐Asia economic relations, including TPP, Korea and the ratification of the
U.S.‐Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), economic and trade relations with Japan, China
and Southeast Asia, and U.S. participation in APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum) and other regional organizations.

Previously, Mr. Quinn served as Minister for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul,
Korea, during the negotiation of the KORUS FTA.   Prior to that, he served as Counselor for
Economic and Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.  He has also
worked on trade issues at the U.S. Embassies in Tokyo, Japan and Bangkok, Thailand, and
served as the Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Nagoya, Japan.   Additionally, from 2009
to 2010, he served as Director of Narcotics and Law Enforcement Assistance at the U.S.
Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

In Washington, Mr. Quinn worked for Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (of West Virginia) as a
Legislative Assistant for trade and foreign policy from 2000 to 2003, supporting the Senator’s
work on the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  He also
served as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Korea from 2004 to 2005.   
Prior to joining the U.S. government, Mr. Quinn worked as an economist for the (United
Kingdom) Department of Trade and Industry, and worked on public policy issues for a major . . . . . .

You were saying . . . . .

[Mnpaul]

27. Don't tell me who I want negotiating our trade agreements Mr. Strawman

That is all you really have. Strawman arguments and conjecture not based in reality.

If this agreement really benefitted the majority of Americans they would have no problem following the constitutional outlined procedure for trade agreements.

The President shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.

You should talk about intentionally misleading people. You do so in every thread.

[Hoyt]

28. You were obviously wrong about who the negotiator is. Didn't even have the decency to apologize to

readers.

You'd make a good researcher for some of the folks spreading bull.

[Mnpaul]

30. When are you going to apologize?

You have been caught peddling lies and distortions numerous times in these threads Mr. Strawman. Maybe I will just change the subject or move the goalposts like you do.

[Hoyt]

32. Show me where I spread a lie like you just did. You might not like my opinion, but I know not

to settle for the first hit on an internet search in an attempt to blame Obama.

[Mnpaul]

34. Blame Obama?

See you did it right there. I didn't blame Obama. I questioned the fact that these people represent us and not the corporations. Another strawman argument. It's all you have. One dishonest argument after another.

[Hoyt]

37. No, you printed the background of the wrong guy, not that of the diplomat negotiating.

[Mnpaul]

38. and you stated I blamed Obama

but as usual, you want to ignore that. Take that pole out of your eye before making demands on others.

[Hoyt]

40. Well what do you call your post #33

Obama negotiates an agreement with Columbia that includes a provision allowing workers to unionize, some union leaders get killed along with a bunch of bakers, cab drivers, hospital patients, etc., and you say:

"Yeah we know, it's never Obamas fault. It's not like he signed it or anything. It will be different this time. /fantasy la la land"

[Mnpaul]

42. and now you are attempting to pull in a response from another sub thread

posted after you claimed I was blaming Obama.

Like I said, you can't answer the question so you have to divert to another post. Red herring.

[Hoyt]

44. Can read pretty fast, up and down the thread. Look at the time codes. Have a good evening hating

Obama.

[Mnpaul]

45. When all else fails

play the hater card.

I know you can answer the questions so you have to go into victim mode.

[rhett o rick]

10. Of course the list is not a complete list. Were any labor unions involved?

Besides you haven't proven that those you listed are working on behalf of the 99%. I would be very surprised if they were. From what we've seen so far, no one was in the least bit looking out for the 99%.

I trust that Sen Sanders has done more research on what's in the TPP and who wrote it than you. I notice that you stand alone on this. I want someone to explain how this will help the 99%. You certainly haven't and neither has the Obama Administration.

[Hoyt]

11. Glad you asked.

USTR Labor Advisory Committee Members

Clayola Brown National President, A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI)
Thomas Buffenbarger International President, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Jim Clark President, International Union of Electronic, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers (IUE)
Leo Gerard International President, United Steelworkers (USW)
Raymond Hair
President, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), AFL-CIO/CLC

Joseph T. Hansen President, United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW)
Mary Kay Henry International President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Ed Hill International President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
James P. Hoffa General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
Ken Howard President, Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
Gregory Junemann International President, International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
Richard Kline President,Union Label & Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Lee Moak President, International Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), AFL-CIO
Jorge Ramirez President, Chicago Federation of Labor
Cecil E. Roberts, Jr. President, United Mineworkers of America (UMWA)
Arturo Rodriguez President, United Farm Workers of America (UFW)
Sara Nelson International President, Association of Flight Atendants, AFL-CIO (CWA)
Lee Saunders President, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Richard Trumka President, American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Baldemar Velasquez President, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)
Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Dennis Williams President, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
Forthcoming President, Transportation and Trades Department, AFL-CIO

[rhett o rick]

14. Hold on one minute. Just because labor provided input doesn't mean the input was

accepted. In fact here's from the official AFL-CIO website:

The AFL-CIO has provided the administration with ideas about how to improve the U.S. trade positions so they work for the 99%, not just the 1%. Unfortunately, it is an uphill battle; the global corporate agenda has infused trade policy with its demands for deregulation, privatization, tax breaks and other financial advantages for Big Business while shrinking the social safety net in the name of “labor flexibility.”

Global businesses that reap the benefits of U.S. trade policy want the TPP to look like prior “free trade agreements” as much as possible. And while negotiations are not yet complete, the publicly available information is concerning for workers: it looks as if, once again, the global corporations are having too much influence in the process. And working families may once again get left behind.

Let me re-emphasize: "the global corporate agenda has infused trade policy with its demands for deregulation, privatization, tax breaks and other financial advantages for Big Business while shrinking the social safety net in the name of “labor flexibility.”

In other words the AFL-CIO is indicating that big business (corporations) are getting their way and not labor.

I trust Sen Sanders and the AFL-CIO. I don't trust international corporations to look out for the 99%.

[Hoyt]

16. Well, they don't listen to me either. I believe in worker protection, but I do not believe

we can generate the money we need for health care, education, welfare, etc., trading among ourselves. Sorry.

If Obama is successful in getting wages increased in other countries, enforcing environmental rules, requiring countries like Japan to take more cars, etc., it will greatly improve labor's position (especially if we change wage laws, offer incentives for hiring at home, get more companies to move here, help anyone who might be displaced through the transition to new employment, tax the heck out of corporations, etc.). Plus, by participating in these trade agreements we make sure we are securing our long-term future.

Truth is, you and I, and probably 90% of the other folks who post here, work directly or indirectly for corporations. It won't do us any good to see them fail like International Harvester.

I trust Obama.

[rhett o rick]

18. "I do not believe View profile we can generate the money we need for health care, education,

welfare, etc., trading among ourselves." We have proven that we can't "generate the money" IF WE DON'T HAVE JOBS. These trade agreements are shipping our jobs away leaving us with a labor surplus which corporations love. Low wages for the lucky that have jobs. This bullcrap has been playing out for decades and it's obvious it isn't working. It's like Charlie Brown and the football. Pres Obama promises that he won't pull the ball out like the leaders did before him.

One reason International Harvester had trouble is because they had a hard time finding qualified workers. Well sure, the chickens came home to roost. Corporations stop paying their fair share of taxes putting a larger burden on the 99%. Schools suffered. IH wanted us taxpayers pay for the education of their future workers. Taxpayers can't afford it and need tax help from the corporations.

You trust Obama. Pres Clinton was trusted also. I call it blind faith.

[Hoyt]

19. Do you not get it that Obama's trade agreement will help. Besides the jobs that are transferable

are going -- more likely gone -- anyway.

Man, can you not read. I said tax the hell out of corporations.

A lot of jobs were generated under Clinton and Obama.

I'd rather make sure corporations flourish, while making sure they pay fair wages, taxes, treat people right, etc. You ever worked for a small company -- most don't pay worth a darn and you are constantly worrying about them going belly up or missing payroll?

[rhett o rick]

20. For the last several decades corporations have done very well. They flourished

as you wish. But they did not share their good fortunes with the workers. The results are a 99% that's greatly in debt. There is abso-frackin-lutly no evidence that this so-called agreement will benefit workers.

[Hoyt]

21. So we tax them, like I said. I don't see alternative. Maybe a cultural shift over decades.

You got any ideas, besides just griping?

[rhett o rick]

22. Once again with the garbage talk. That's enough for me.

[Enthusiast]

47. I am sick and tired of this bullshit.

[rhett o rick]

48. I appreciate this poster's willingness to argue on behalf of the TPP. He shows me that

there really isn't any evidence or argument to indicate that this "agreement" supports the 99%. I appreciate a decent debate but won't put up with rudeness. I put rude people on ignore.

[AuntPatsy]

26. I think the recent tax break that was passed just last Thursday pretty much proves, taxing

Corporations is not on the agenda...

[Mnpaul]

29. Obama's Columbian trade agreement really helped the workers in Columbia

Last year, 20 union leaders were killed and 90 kidnapped.

In 2011, the US and Colombia agreed to a Labor Action Plan (LAP) to protect workers’ right to join and freely participate in unions. The LAP was part of a Colombia-US trade agreement that became effective in 2012.
https://leftlaborreporter.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/columbian-union-activist-murdered-columbia-still-not-safe-for-union-members/

They feed us this crap on every one of these trade agreements.

[Hoyt]

31. Like that was Obama's fault, the agreement included protections -- should he have sent the army?

[Mnpaul]

33. Yeah we know, it's never Obamas fault

It's not like he signed it or anything. It will be different this time.

/fantasy la la land

[Hoyt]

36. The agreement included requirements to allow workers to unionize. It's never enough when it's Obama.

No one else has gotten that provision before. But, you guys won't give him a bit of credit, because he has to be 10 times better than anyone else, 8 is just not good enough.

[Mnpaul]

39. Everyone is picking on Obama

Boo hoo.

and of course you won't address the fact that the provision means nothing without enforcement.

[Hoyt]

41. Like I said, do you want to send in military. It's Columbia's responsibility, as a party to the

agreement.

[Mnpaul]

43. These strawman arguments are getting old

I said nothing about sending in the military. It is not how we enforce trade agreements.

More garbage. When are going to apologize?

[L0oniX]

6. Mega K & R

[Vincardog]

7. Called & K & R

[MissDeeds]

12. I stand with Bernie

Thanks for the info, Playinghardball.

Kicked and highly recommended.

[WillyT]

13. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[sabrina 1]

15. Done, thank you!

[JDPriestly]

17. I'm with Bernie on trade. No to more trade agreements, especially

if they involve international trade courts that will decide matters that should be decided only through the democratic and judicial processes established in our Constitution and law.

No to the TPP. And lets renegotiate, one-on-one, country-by-country, our existing trade agreements with the nations with which we want to trade.

I recall when, in the 1940s through the 1970s, China was viewed as a backward, rather helpless country. It had enormous overpopulation and was unable to feed its people. In addition, it was governed by a kind of crazy regime that abused the most fundamental human rights.

We began to trade with China and it now has a large trade surplus while we have a large trade deficit.

And much of China's economic prowess and domination in the world today is due to the insane amount of low-cost goods that we and other developed countries import from it.

Meanwhile, our industrial base is disappearing, nearly gone. We exported our jobs, butt not just our jobs, we also exported our pollution, the dirty smokestacks, the coal-burning factories, the bad environmental policies that we had before we shipped them off to China. And now we want to send even more work to countries in which the people will reduced to working without protective environmental or workplace standards.

No to the TPP. Let's learn to make products with environmentally safe processes and factories here in the US.

As long as we still have homeless people on our streets in the US, we should not be shipping jobs to other countries. We need first to insure a life of dignity for every American and then trade with other countries. We can do that through a system of one-on-one trade agreements as opposed to regional trade agreements. We can exercise leverage with one-on-one trade agreements that will truly lift up the countries with which we trade as well as our own country.

These regional trade agreements are not just a race to the bottom when it comes to labor and environmental and product quality standards but also when it comes to human rights issues.

And shame on us. China, a country in which human rights abuses are so common and in which much of the industry is either owned by the government or closely regulated by the government (and not for environmental safety or labor fairness) has surpassed us in terms of economic progress and output. We have very creative inventors and businessmen, but I have to ask what is wrong with our system that we have fallen so far behind China in terms of our balance of trade?

I do not think the problem is that our wages are too high to be competitive or that our environmental standards are too restrictive. I think the problem is that so much of our economy is in the hands of greedy private individuals and companies that sell us the idea that privatization is the way to go but that produce their products in a country in which the government decides much economic policy and then sell those products to us for profits they then hide in tax havens around the world.

The success of China begs the question as to what economic theory and system is working in the world today. Are we even told the truth about the Chinese system that has created such an economic behemoth in that country?

I'm asking questions about our economic system and just whether it is competitive enough. Questions I never thought I would ask.

And I am also questioning the wisdom and utility of yet another trade agreement. I think we need to rethink our attitudes and assumptions about our economic system considering the slow growth and lack of adaptability in it. (Where are our high speed trains? Look what China and Japan have built?) And we need to say no to regional trade agreements until we have made a thorough and objective study of their impact on our economy and have explored whether one-on-one trade agreements would be a better way to enter the arena of world trade.

[Art_from_Ark]

24. Argh!

Every time I try to click the DU Rec button, I get a message saying I'm already logged in!

[99Forever]

35. K&R

[Enthusiast]

46. Kicked and recommended!

Yay, Bernie!

[AzDar]

49. K & R

[Autumn]

50. Yes it must be stopped and Bernie needs to run for President.