ALERT: DFA Warning New TPP Provision Would Cut Medicare $700 Million to Help Pay for Trade Aid

[cali]

Just received a mailing today from Democracy for America with an alert that a new provision in the pending TPP Trade Bill, inserted by the GOP of course, would cut $700 million from Medicare to pay the cost of a Democrat-backed proposal to provide aid to workers who lose their jobs because of TPP.

Here's part of the DFA message and a link to their petition:
(so this provision is actually in the TPA but it's applied to the TPP)


I didn't think it was possible -- but the Trans-Pacific Partnership just got a lot worse.

There's a big -- brand new -- attack on Medicare that's just been added in the Senate to the Fast Track bill for the TPP. The bill would cut a whopping $700 million from Medicare, hurting seniors who need access to health care.

That's right, Republicans insisted on cutting Medicare spending to pay for a Trade Adjustment Assistance program that Democrats got added to the bill in order to support workers who lost their jobs due to trade deals like the TPP.

This is ridiculous. If Senators are concerned about the impact of the TPP on jobs, then they should reject the the Fast Track bill that makes it possible -- especially if the plan to pay for it comes out of the pockets of seniors who rely on Medicare to survive.

The Senate is about to vote again on Fast Track for the TPP. President Obama is pressuring Democrats to vote for it, even with this cut to Medicare. We have just a few days to stop them.

Sign our petition: http://act.democracyforamerica.com/...


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/16/1385285/-ALERT-DFA-Warning-New-TPP-Provision-Would-Cut-Medicare-700-Million-to-Help-Pay-for-Trade-Aid

[cantbeserious]

1. The Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks Own And Control The Politicians And Media That Own And Control Us

They could care less about Main Street.

[Enthusiast]

51. They could care less what we want or need for our survival.

[Pooka Fey]

64. Great video!

Thanks for posting.

[Egnever]

2. This sort of crap is exactly why Obama is pushing for fast track.

[woo me with science]

3. War is Peace!

The chocolate ration has been increased!

[Egnever]

4. Slogans are arguments!

[woo me with science]

5. 2+2=5!

You convinced me!

[Mnpaul]

83. TPP is liberal trade policy

I just dealt with that nonsense

[Enthusiast]

95. They can peddle nonsense as fast as an old west gunfighter can fire his six shooter.

[cali]

7. huh? but this is a result of pushing for it.

[Vincardog]

41. Are you saying that President Obama doesn't want insurance for workers unemployed because of TPP?

[Exilednight]

43. That's an unfair accusation. It's upaetting that Obama would

Even consider this just to get a trade deal done.

We all know it's Repuicans who want this, but Obama would be a witting accomplice if he signed such a deal.

[Vincardog]

44. SNAP Obama revealed as his cabinet choices never did.

[Hoyt]

6. It's part of Sequester in 2024. Jeez, by then they will have done something else.

So would you rather cut out the assistance to workers that begins in 2015 under TPA?

Even if it were to happen it's a drop in Medicare budget.

Heck Senator Warren is supporting cutting several billion in medical device taxes that support ACA to coddle medical device manufacturers in her state that are whining about the 2.5%tax, sucking up to the health Care industry.

[Joe Turner]

52. Nice to know backers of TPP realize that workers will need assistance if it is passed

At least the unmitigated BS that TPP will create good, high paying jobs in America had been discreetly dropped in the trash can of unsellable garbage. Of course the latest BS line is that "we live in a global economy" as if the last 10,000 years have not existed. It's like this: In the real world there are trade policies that works to the advantage of a nation's interest and there are trade policies that don't. Let me submit to you that the "free trade" paradigm that started under the Reagan administration and embraced by nearly all republicans and so-called democrats like you has killed most manufacturing in this country and predictably lowered the standard of living for a large majority of Americans. If you think that this kind of corporate welfare act, heaped on other corporate welfare acts is a reality that cannot be avoided you better start explaining how nations like Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland-to name of few, can operate in this new global reality of cheap labor while running huge trade surpluses. They are aren't stupid, we are for being the only country that buys into the notion that the letting corporations run wild and dropping all tariffs is a good idea.

[Hoyt]

57. They are workers who will need assistance whether TPP passes or not.

I prefer to see them get assistance. You think assistance is doing nothing, yet you'll be posting about how bad the economy is for workers with limited opportunities.

[Populist_Prole]

58. What?

[Joe Turner]

66. Getting assistance after their jobs are exported is of little consequence

A worker gets thrown out of job where he/she has skills and makes a good living and you tell them here's a few bucks for their high paying job going overseas? That's adding insult to injury. It may come as a surprise to you but most folks are not the type to be able to master computer programming or join the professional class. One thing is clear though, you don't think much past the failed platitudes of free trade policy.

[Hoyt]

77. I don't think a lot, if any, of highly skilled jobs have been sent overseas.

Most of the low skilled jobs have been gone for awhile, and would have likely been replaced here anyway.

I'd prefer to see anyone who might be displaced -- more likely from technology -- to receive assistance and training. But hey, let's act like Tbaggers denying climate change, need for health care, etc.

long-term, I think we are ruining our country by putting our heads in the sand and trying to avoid globalization and the changing world.

[Joe Turner]

84. enacting deleterious trade deals is not embracing globalization

America has been the most active global trader for over a hundred years. What has changed is allowing, no, encouraging our corporations to transfer technology and millions of high paying jobs all over the globe so they can expand their profits while leaving broken lives back home. I've asked you this before: Please explain how 1st world nations like Germany, Japan, S. Korea, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, most of Europe, can run large trade surpluses and retain and grow their manufacturing industries while this country runs endless trade deficits and gets run out of one industry after another. Did these countries "not" get the message on globalization. Seems to me you are the one with your head in the sand.

[Hoyt]

85. Most of those countries have significant operations right here in America. They embrace trade, and

have embraced it for decades.

They also produce products that are arguably better than ours from a quality standpoint and pricing.

Germany was sending us VWs, while we were still producing big, gas gusslers. Japan was producing cheaper and better electronics.

We missed the boat back then trying to protect our industries with buy American bull. Hope we don't do it again.

[Joe Turner]

86. They embrace trade on their terms not ours

Case in point, the foreign auto plants you wax about are little more than assembly shops designed to circumvent what is little left of our trade restrictions on domestic content. Most of the value-added technical manufacturing work, design and engineering is still done in those countries and exported to their operations here. Its easier now for our politicians and free trade adherents like you gush on about how generous these companies are. While these very same countries have large trade surpluses and are net exporters....unlike the U.S. Now how can this happen if we are all tied into this global world? Spin-away my friend.

[Hoyt]

88. Those plants bring good jobs to areas that don't have jobs.

We should be doing the same thing, do the skilled work here, and send the less skilled work elsewhere. We can also do big construction work overseas where I workers make excellent wages.

[Joe Turner]

89. It's not feasible to do skill work here

when there is little manufacturing here to support it AND little economic incentive to invest if foreign competition can under cut your ability to be profitable. What you don't realize is the our trade policy discourages investment in manufacturing. Other countries encourage manufacturing through restrictions on trade. Good paying jobs? Compared to Walmart yes, compared to decades ago in that industry no-not even close. Yeah, "we should be doing" is easy for you to say.

[Hoyt]

90. I think that is what TPP does, remove remaining restrictions on trade.

[Joe Turner]

91. Like NAFTA removed restrictions on trade?

Try competing against a low wage, low regulation nation like Vietnam and see what happens to our exports. Of wait, we have already seen this with China, Japan, Mexico, Korea, .. just about every nation we have a trade pact with. What's that saying about insanity?
Lotsa luck on selling that.

[Hoyt]

92. Isolationism in today's world, really is insanity.

[Joe Turner]

93. Sorry enacting Corporate trade pacts is insanity

as its long track record of destroying millions of jobs and industries is undeniable. Don't know what you are driving at. America traded with every country in this world prior to free trade and had huge trade surpluses. What does enacting another corporate racketeering act have anything to do with isolationism? ..but I will tell you what will get us there. When we have nothing of value to trade with other nations America will be pretty isolated indeed...and vulnerable. Keep on spinning.

[markpkessinger]

115. Opposition to a particular trade bill is NOT isolationism!

I am all for trade deals, provided it is the right deal, And it isnt as if there will be no trade with these countries of the TPP is rejected.

[Hoyt]

119. Well a lot of folks here are against almost all foreign trade.

[tennstar]

100. Just wondering

Who writes your pay check?

[Hoyt]

101. Like most folks, I work through an evil corporation.

Who writes yours?

[tennstar]

107. Whom ever

Buys my paintings, prior to that I was a teacher. I don't believe in taking the corporate line like you.
I am not sure why you post on this sight.

[Hoyt]

108. I bet most folks who buy your paintings work for corporations.

Either small one man ones like me, or big ones.

Heck, even Bernie Sanders' contributions go to a corporation.

[cuncator]

96. Say what?

I don't think a lot, if any, of highly skilled jobs have been sent overseas.

You must not work in the tech industry then. Over the past decade or so outsourcing and H1-B abuse has been killing the tech labor pool in the United States.

[Hoyt]

97. There are tons of tech jobs right here. And some of our tech people aren't nearly as good

ad they think they are.

[markpkessinger]

104. Yes, there are tech jobs here . . .

. . . not nearly as many as there used to be, however. Bear in mind that not all tech jobs were in tech companies. Many were in banking and law, but many of those firms have outsourced their tech services to firms in India and Pakistan. And if you are a middle-aged tech worker and you lose your job, actually landing one of the jubs that remains is virtually impossible, as there is a really heavy age bias in the tech industry generally.

[Hoyt]

106. Not disputing it is tough if one loses their job. But there are other sides to story.

For example, we provide a lot of tech services to foreign countries too.

[bvar22]

102. You don't believe many "high skilled" jobs have gone overseas?

Upon what do you base this claim?
Can you provide some support for your preposterous claim that :
"I don't think a lot, if any, of highly skilled jobs have been sent overseas."

I know of several industries that have outsourced most of their highly skilled jobs.
Tool & Die is only one. (Those are the guys that make the machines
that make the machines.)

[Hoyt]

103. I bet 50 cent a day peasants aren't making those type machines.

[bvar22]

110. Please try to remain focused.

We are talking about your claim that few, if any, high skilled jobs have been outsourced.
I challenged you to support your claim....which you FAILED to do.

Upon what do you base this claim?
Can you provide some support for your preposterous claim that :
"I don't think a lot, if any, of highly skilled jobs have been sent overseas."

I know of several industries that have outsourced most of their highly skilled jobs.
Tool & Die is only one. (Those are the guys that make the machines
that make the machines.)

Now....do try to stay on topic.

[Hoyt]

111. Would seem easier for you to name some highly skilled jobs that have been

outsourced to low skilled countries.

[bvar22]

126. I didn't make that preposterous claim.

YOU did.
It is YOUR responsibility to provide support for claims YOU make on DU.

[JDPriestly]

79. Medicare rates have already risen. My co-pays went way up for my medications.

Plus like most older people, many in fact most of my medications are off-the-counter and not covered by Medicare to begin with. That's over $125 on average for month from my Social Security. And remember, Social Security pays on average (or mean --close to the same with Social Security with payments capped at something like $2,200 per month for the top recipients) about $1300-1400 per month. So $125 for over the counter medications is a big share. And I am not unusual.

No cuts to Medicare.

No TPP. It is as I have said so many times, a corporate coup. That's all it is. It will bring utterly no value for the American people.

It will only benefit the very, very rich.

No compromise on this one. The TPP is a grave danger to Americans. It will be a sad day for my children and grandchildren if the TPP is approved and passed.

I regret having worked to get Obama elected, and I regret having voted for him. This TPP is the biggest double-cross of my lifetime.

We will not increase exports with the TPP. We will simply increase imports and we are already saturated with them. The "new" customers that will be joined in trade with the TPP are not going to buy products made in America. They will not be paid enough to afford them. The TPP is not good for America.

Hoyt, you know that. You know that very well.

[Hoyt]

98. Just a few years ago, there was no coverage for prescription meds. Obama has improved

Part D coverage.

The TPP is nowhere near as bad as folks make it. I think it will be an improvement over the status quo.

[Joe Turner]

109. That's been said about every single trade treaty since Reagan

"This--fill in the blank--free trade deal will be a net positive, will create thousands of high paying export jobs, will reduce our trade deficit." And when the undeniable results come in showing that the exact opposite happened..free trade propagandists go on to say exactly the same thing about the next trade agreement they want rammed through congress. You guys need to come up with some new material. It's hard to obscure the truth with the same old lies.

[Hoyt]

112. We'd be screwed without trade.

[Joe Turner]

114. You are running in circles

Who said otherwise? There is healthy bilateral trade and then there are corporate profit maximization acts that masquerade as fair trade deals. You obviously like the latter. One must wonder though how this nation ever prospered prior to free trade deals. Oh wait, We Did! That's when we had a vibrant and growing middle class.

[JDPriestly]

113. Actually,

Medicare Part D, also called the Medicare prescription drug benefit, is a United States federal-government program to subsidize the costs of prescription drugs and prescription drug insurance premiums for Medicare beneficiaries. It was enacted as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (which also made changes to the public Part C Medicare health plan program) and went into effect on January 1, 2006.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Part_D

Obama ameliorated the problem with the donut hole, but that benefit does not begin until something like 2019. So for the moment, Medicare on my plan charges me more for prescriptions than it did last year. Considerably more.

The TPP is a corporate coup.

Corporations are the creation of state law. Their primary purpose is to limit the financial responsibility of investors in a corporation to the money that the investor paid for the stock he she bought when investing in the corporation.

The Constitution contains no provision stating that corporations which are merely a legal construct to limit the liability of investors and promote investments in businesses. Yet the Supreme Court recognizes them as sentient beings with civil rights.

The TPP will make entrench this legal folly even more into our psyches and our economic system.

A corporation will be able to sue a country, say the US, if that corporation thinks it has lost money due to some law, say some environmental or workplace safety or hours and wages law.

But the employee who loses his/her job because the company decides to outsource the employee's work to some country that pays cheaper wages will not be able to sue.

In this case, the corporation enjoys more "human" rights, that is the right to sue for a wrong that has caused the corporation losses than the human being.

That is downright wrong. A corporate coup. That's all it is. Same for NAFTA.

[Hoyt]

120. Actually, the ACA began closing the so-called donut hole in 2010. In 2019, the full impact of the

phase in occurs.

I think most people know that without corporations we'd still be scratching out a living on dirt farms. I'd be happy with that, truthfully having lived on my granddad's small dairy farm, but I don't think most would. Corporations like Ford saved a lot of starving people from the Dust Bowl and starvation.


Went to the World Market (non-trademarked) today, and bought some great food. I also thought of how nice trade is.

[JDPriestly]

121. No problem with corporations. It's just that they aren't people.

And because they are created by nation-states, they should have to go to the courts in the nation-states they want to sue to get a settlement for their grievances.

Either that or citizens of a nation-state from which they move jobs or against which they commits some other civil wrong that causes the citizen an injury should be able to sue the corporation in the same kind of court that the corporation can sue the individual.

If a corporation can sue a country for lost potential profits or lost actual profits in a special TPP or NAFTA or other international trade court due to some internal decision by the government or people of that country, then if that corporation decides to pick up a plant and move it to Mexico, that corporation should owe the employees that lose their jobs because of the plant's move for the lost wages.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

[Hoyt]

123. Actually, I think that's a good idea to have corporations compensate employees

who are displaced. I agree that should be part of the bean counters' decision making process.

[JDPriestly]

124. Yes. One major problem with our trade agreements thus far has been that the 1% has made

out like bandits while the rest of us are scared for our jobs, for our homes and for our families due to the lost jobs. That's just huge on a very human scale.

And then those corporations can claim our laws damage their profits and sue our government while we have to rely on paltry unemployment benefits as they make huge profits off our misery.

No, a thousand times no.

There is so much wrong with the TPP that I can't believe Obama wants it -- and we haven't even seen the whole thing yet. What a nightmare. I will do everything i can which isn't I suppose much to oppose the TPP. NAFTA was a disaster.

[Hoyt]

125. Our agreement only goes to employee compensation. I don't think the ISDS

will do most, if any of that. It's like one anti-TPP group said, "the TPP possibly, could do XXX." It's mostly bull.

But I guess agreeing on compensation is something.

[eridani]

8. Another petition from Credo Action

On Tuesday, something happened that no one expected: Thanks to the leadership of Senators Harry Reid, Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders – who were powered by the activism of hundreds of thousands of CREDO members and our allies in the progressive community – Democrats were able to slow down the progress of Fast Track trade authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by blocking a key test vote.

But now the bill is moving forward as part of a rotten compromise package that would pay for Trade Adjustment Assistance for displaced workers with $700 million in cuts to Medicare funding.

We’ve stopped backdoor cuts to our vital social safety net programs before – and with strong grassroots pressure, we can do it again.

Sign the petition to Democratic leaders in Congress: Stop the sneak attack on Medicare.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance program, originally implemented in 1974, provides training, benefits and job-placement assistance to American workers whose jobs are offshored or eliminated because of import competition. But paying for Trade Adjustment Assistance by raiding Medicare would put our country’s most vulnerable senior citizens at risk.

The proposal currently being considered to fund Trade Adjustment Assistance includes an extension of the sequester on Medicare payments into the second half of 2024, which amounts to a $700 million cut to Medicare funding.1 While this isn’t a direct cut to Medicare benefits, it could still have devastating effects for America’s seniors. As the American Medical Association explained in a letter to Congress, these cuts would “impede improvements to our health care system” and “could lead to serious access to care issues for Medicare patients.”2

I just took action to stop Republicans from cutting Medicare funding by $700 million.

I think you should too: http://act.credoaction.com/sign/tpp_medicare?sp_ref=121881661.4.13907.e.56046.2&referring_akid=.457465.dnAuHi&source=mailto_sp

[Raine1967]

33. This makes more sense than the OP's source. Thank you.

I still would like to know more about this. If credo has access to this information, than I am sure others have access to the source information.

[red dog 1]

99. Thanks for the link

and also for the information.

I just signed the CREDO petition

[hifiguy]

9. Just. Plain, Evil.

[jwirr]

10. Did the petition link work for the rest of you?

[Hun Joro]

11. It didn't work for me.

[cali]

16. sorry. try this

http://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/TPPMedicareCuts/?

[840high]

23. Done.

[City Lights]

94. Thanks...signed. nt

[pa28]

12. Points straight to third way Democrat corruption and why they are killing the party.

Democrats are admitting with the worker assistance package that jobs will be lost and communities destroyed by passing fast track and inevitably TPP after that.

Third way politicians served their megadonors lavishly and now they are going to serve their constituents by "fixing" the damage they've deliberately caused. They can wash their hands and say "there now everybody is happy!"

We tried the same thing with NAFTA by spending lots of money to assist nearly a million officially categorized displaced workers and re-train them for non-existent jobs. Most just settled for the lower paid unskilled jobs that took the place of their offshored jobs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026621709

Same thing again when the chained CPI was proposed. The third way answer was to provide a package of additional assistance to the neediest seniors so the cuts were all justified. S'all good right? You break it and then pay for some glue to put the pieces back together.

The thinking is just wrong on the face of it. If your trade deal is going to damage American workers and you know it VOTE AGAINST THE DEAL in the first place.

Seems hard to believe Democrats would willingly compound an already bad deal by cutting a proven program for the public benefit but not much surprises me these days.

[Populist_Prole]

22. Bingo

And the first sentence of your post is the sickening truth. The peddlers of this BS wagged their fingers at us and told us we have exaggerated concerns about job loss and finally admit it will be bad and they then throw us a bone of compensation. Then they have the balls to bitch about the republicans wanting to scuttle that provision....knowing full well republicans are pricks...but sure do accept the latent bi-partisan support of the rethugs because the rethugs actually want this agreement.

It's bizarro world, and they're turning into the craziest bastards since the teabaggers.

[woo me with science]

61. +1000000000000000000000000

Not crazy. Greedy and amoral. Our government is a sewer of corruption. Both parties. All three branches.

[woo me with science]

131. This is the truth.

[salib]

13. There is the possibility now that this will be a poison pill

And Obama would be forced to veto it.

Of course, it could also be killed in the House. However, there, it may not be able to pass with this, nor be able to pass without. Different constituencies would have very strong opinions now that the genie is out of the bottle.

[project_bluebook]

14. Good thing we got them Apple watches

[Paper Roses]

15. The older I get...........

I'm disgusted folks. So many will suffer if this passes and now this? Medicare? Why not send all the old timers like me out on an iceberg.
No wonder I'm in a 'mood'. half the time. I can't keep up with all this crap any more.

[YOHABLO]

19. "Soylent Green'' Anyone?

[subterranean]

18. Remind me again why we need the TPP?

[Dragonfli]

32. It has electrolytes, it has what workers crave.

[SMC22307]

55. Vietnamese-made Nikes. Or something.

I'd rather invest in authentic, family-owned pho restaurants in every American city. Noodles for everyone!

[HereSince1628]

20. R's can change TPP?? I thought it was so hard to get countries to trust the negotiations...

I don't get this...

[Cryptoad]

21. Did they provide,,,

a certified copy of the text in Treaty that backs that claim up? lMBO

[Dragonfli]

34. They don't have to, read the damn post. /nt

[Cryptoad]

42. I read the damn post,,,

and same of ole same ole..... everybody saying what in it and it doesn't even exist yet..... geeez

[Dragonfli]

49. It's in the fast track compromise, you did not read very well. /nt

[Cryptoad]

71. yet no one cite it..... seems it not me with a problem,,,, !

[Dragonfli]

74. Denial of what this petition is trying to stop them from voting on

is interesting to me. You really think they are only kidding when putting this provision in the fast track compromise bill and it will disappear before the vote, do you also refuse to believe the fast track bill exists?

You really are closing your eyes and shoving your fingers in your ears and have no interest whatsoever in reality.

[rhett o rick]

54. Lots of people are predicting doom for a miraid of reasons. But no one

that's NO ONE has shown a single reason we should be hopeful.

[Cryptoad]

72. I dont deal in presumptions from any direction.

[Doctor_J]

75. Since you seem to believe the TPP is just fine, I would say you DO accept presumptions from

one direction

[Cryptoad]

81. I have never stated any such belief that TTP is just fine.

but since you are determined to make what I say as you go , carry on! geeez,,,,,

[rhett o rick]

80. Well the facts are that there is a ton of evidence and lots of experts telling us how much

of a disaster this is and NO ONE providing any evidence that it might possibly be beneficial to the 99%.

[Cryptoad]

82. funny that nobody can cite any of these so-call facts you say are so numerous .

It weakens one's argument if one can't back it up.

[rhett o rick]

105. You are ignoring the evidence we've seen. You are ignoring what noted ecomonists are

saying. Pres Obama and McConnell have not shown us one single reason to even hope that this is anything but a piece of crap.

[Cryptoad]

116. If you have seen it ,,, share it. Until you show to me,,, i will never believe you have seen anythin

[rhett o rick]

117. I am convinced that no amount of evidence would sway your loyalty.

The evidence is out there all over the internetz.

[Cryptoad]

118. I have no loyality but i am long enough

in the tooth to know when somebody is pissing down my leg and telling me its raining....show me the beef! If what is being said is true Im sure I would not support it,,,, but nobody can show me any evidence that it is what they say it is...... geeez..... sorry I will wait for some evidence before I commit

[TexasBushwhacker]

24. If they think they'll need $700 Million

To pay laid off workers, that seems like a pretty good reason to not approve TPP at all. But if they go that route, then the companies need to pay for the unemployment and retraining. Every DAMN PENNY.

Considering that Medicare has zero to do with the TPP, why don't think hey take the hit from something even bigger in the budget - the DOD?!

[marym625]

25. What the fuck?

Why are the Republicans adding to the TPA?.

[orpupilofnature57]

27. Their end of the ' New Deal ' Millionaires don't need medicare .

[marym625]

29. The whole debacle in the Senate last week

Was about amendments to the TPA. So the dems not only gave in on not having the important amendments, they allowed the re pugs to fuck medicare

What the ever loving fuck kind of bullshit game is this?

[orpupilofnature57]

26. I voted for a better world, not a dark vacuum .

Thanks Cali, you've come with more information than anybody especially MSM .

[Raine1967]

31. What information is this diary providing?

It is making a claim with no links to research whether this is true or not.

[orpupilofnature57]

37. Why would a person that's posted here for years lie ?

[Raine1967]

40. That is a response to my post that I cannot answer, considering this:

What you asked me has nothing to do with what I posted.

Why would a person that's posted here for years lie ?

I don't know. I was trying to discuss the OP.

Your question is totally unrelated to what I was trying to discuss. I think you may be inadvertently trying to distract from what I posted. and queried about.

That's ok, things like this happen.

[orpupilofnature57]

60. Like when you were making the lack of a link a " DIARY " ?

or as if what was being discussed was aided by your question or comment or whatever it was .

[George II]

28. Isn't that what Paul Ryan said about the ACA?

[Raine1967]

30. I am against the TPP, but this DKos link doesn't give any links regarding background.

Just received a mailing today from Democracy for America with an alert that a new provision in the pending TPP Trade Bill, inserted by the GOP of course, would cut $700 million from Medicare to pay the cost of a Democrat-backed proposal to provide aid to workers who lose their jobs because of TPP.

Here's part of the DFA message and a link to their petition:

I didn't think it was possible -- but the Trans-Pacific Partnership just got a lot worse.
There's a big -- brand new -- attack on Medicare that's just been added in the Senate to the Fast Track bill for the TPP. The bill would cut a whopping $700 million from Medicare, hurting seniors who need access to health care.

That's right, Republicans insisted on cutting Medicare spending to pay for a Trade Adjustment Assistance program that Democrats got added to the bill in order to support workers who lost their jobs due to trade deals like the TPP.

This is ridiculous. If Senators are concerned about the impact of the TPP on jobs, then they should reject the the Fast Track bill that makes it possible -- especially if the plan to pay for it comes out of the pockets of seniors who rely on Medicare to survive.

The Senate is about to vote again on Fast Track for the TPP. President Obama is pressuring Democrats to vote for it, even with this cut to Medicare. We have just a few days to stop them.

Sign our petition: http://act.democracyforamerica.com/...

Equally beneficial, get in touch with your Senators offices now and tell them not to support TPP in general, but especially if it uses seniors benefits to pay for it.
Count on the GOP.....if they can screw American workers AND seniors in a single move, they'll jump at the chance.

No link to show proof of this — just a request to sign a petition?

I call BS on this one. There is nothing there except a claim.

[PosterChild]

47. I noticed the lack of any source also...

...seems to bear a fund raising hoax to me.... sign the petition followed by a donation request.

[KoKo]

67. Here's more about it from CREDO Action:

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/tpp_medicare?sp_ref=121881661.4.13907.e.56046.2&referring_akid=.457465.dnAuHi&source=mailto_sp

[DebJ]

35. Damn it! Without looking I know Toomey signed it! If he did,

I'm taking that door to door soon!

[Dont call me Shirley]

36. Republicans and Corpracrats) suck, the life out of people, literally.

[Thespian2]

38. Saw the petition earlier today,

signed it...don't know if petitions mean anything to the assholes running the government into the ground, but I sign them if I believe in the cause...

[CharlotteVale]

39. And how many Democrats will vote against it? My two

senators who call themselves Democrats certainly won't. And yes, I've written and called them (and my useless rep) about this.

[blackspade]

45. No Democrat should vote for cuts to medicare, medicaid, or Social Security.

As a compromise, it is a loser. The rethugs get their 'entitlement' cuts and get to hammer Democratic candidates to boot.
The Democratic Party and the American people gain nothing good from such compromises.

[Jamastiene]

87. And we are supposed to pretend we don't see them doing this.

We are supposed to pretend we don't see that they are ensuring a whole bunch of Republican wins in 2016. We are supposed to pretend that we don't see they are colluding on screwing the American people.

[BeanMusical]

46. This keeps getting better all the time.

[fadedrose]

48. We get a free trip, one-way

to the Grand Canyon. It's a secret, shh..

[Enthusiast]

50. Kicked and recommended!

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[SMC22307]

53. "Ridiculous"? It's fucking obscene. (n/t)

[orpupilofnature57]

62. It's Totalitarianism .

[WillyT]

56. K & R !!!

[AzDar]

59. What the actual FUCK?

[ctsnowman]

63. Another corperate giveaway

this one takes tax dollars and gives it to certification mills for "training" for nonexistent jobs.

The looting continues.

[Dragonfli]

70. I was waiting to see if anyone besides me saw the "retraining" bit for what it is

Certification mills for non-existent jobs has always been what they offer when they take jobs away.

It makes private companies money, even with no jobs at the end of the rainbow, it allows them to pretend they replace the jobs and make a buck off the pretense as well. It is brilliant politics on behalf of private concerns and always has been, but they have shown this hand too many times for people not to start noticing it for what it is.

[They_Live]

65. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sulphurdunn]

68. If I understand this

the plan is to cut off one of the hands Johnny uses to make cat food cans so granny doesn't need to eat cat food and send it overseas so workers there can make cans faster and cheaper using three hands and import them so granny can have cheaper cat food to eat because Johnny isn't making cans anymore. Then you steal her cat food money to train Johnny to open the cheaper cans with one hand that granny can't afford anymore anyway. Brilliant!

[stonecutter357]

69. .

[Mnpaul]

73. I thought that the TPP was supposed to create jobs

but did they say where these jobs will be created?

We heard this story before and it didn't help much in the past. Under this one, Medicare loses twice. It loses the contributions from lost jobs and loses funding to pay for lost jobs.

more bad deals

[Dragonfli]

78. Well I guess since the jobs created will be in offshore sweatshops using child labor

They have to offer the fig leaf of "training" for whatever jobs are left that can't be off shored, barrista school? Burger King Academy perhaps?

Of course it makes sense to steal from the old to do it as everybody knows it is the fault of seniors that corporations want their work done by ten year old Vietnamese children, because Free Trade and reasons!

[SnowCritter]

76. Pitchforks and torches yet?

I may start selling them on-line.

[woo me with science]

122. kick

[wildbilln864]

127. k & r & thanks! n/t

[SMC22307]

128. Monday kick.

Ugh, it's Monday.

[blackspade]

129. This just gets worse...

[woo me with science]

130. kick