Bill Moyers: Yves Smith and Dean Baker on Secrets in Trade (TPP)

[antigop]

http://billmoyers.com/segment/yves-smith-and-dean-baker-on-secrets-in-trade/

A US-led trade deal is currently being negotiated that could increase the price of prescription drugs, weaken financial regulations and even allow partner countries to challenge American laws. But few know its substance.

The pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is deliberately shrouded in secrecy, a trade deal powerful people, including President Obama, don’t want you to know about. More than 130 members of Congress have asked the White House for greater transparency about the negotiations and were essentially told to go fly a kite. While most of us are in the dark about the contents of the deal, which Obama aims to seal by year end, corporate lobbyists are in the know about what it contains.

And some vigilant independent watchdogs are tracking the negotiations with sources they trust, including Dean Baker and Yves Smith, who join Moyers & Company this week. Both have written extensively about the TPP and tell Bill the pact actually has very little to do with free trade.

[BelgianMadCow]

1. Glad to give the 5th rec

excellent segment, great to see Yves of Naked Capitalism, that's one of the best blogs for economic truth around.

The bit with Obama's position on NAFTA as a candidate is interesting to compare with his current stande on the TPP.

[antigop]

2. Yes, I am a fan of "Naked Capitalism" blog. It's great! nt

[BelgianMadCow]

3. What also caught my attention was the discussion on Social Security & Medicare

both guests did an excellent job of highlighting that
a) Social Security has no funding problems, and the slightly increasing spending on it is not an issue
b) Medicare DOES have funding problems, because the underlying cost of healthcare in the US is double that of all other developed countries.

Many great topics of conversation. The best one I thought was Bill's question: if things are as clear as you lay them out, why is either nobody speaking about it (TPP) or has the political argument been lost? Answer: the disconnect between the people in power and the bulk of the people. THEY do well so WE'll just have to sweat through the "tough times". We're all in the same boat, says Cameron. Rrrrright.

[antigop]

4. I thought this was an excellent program. So glad to see some attention to these issues.

Yves on the TPP: “There would be no reason to keep it so secret if it was in the interest of the public.”

Now if someone would dig into Hillary's role in all of this.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=67554

[jtuck004]

5. "We're all in the same boat" - but some are in the plush cabins up top, and the

rest are chained with debt, like firewood in the hold, being used as ballast and fuel.

[CHOCOLATMIMOSA]

6. K&R - Thanks for posting

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. knr

[fasttense]

8. The T-Pee-Pee - a trade deal BY the corporations, FOR the corporations

and any benefit to the public is purely coincidental.

[antigop]

9. Hillary Clinton's Business Legacy at State Department (leading part in drafting TPP)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=67554

[mother earth]

10. Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant...there's a reason why something's done in the dark, or

there's a rush...always.

[BelgianMadCow]

11. it's not gonna work. Already a major hiccup in Europe with the TTIP

"In Response To Growing Protests, EU Pulls Corporate Sovereignty Chapter From TAFTA/TTIP To Allow For Public Consultation"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024377168

[me b zola]

12. K&R

[polichick]

13. Start at 17:10 for a clip of the prez talking about NAFTA being negotiated by...

lobbyists and how that has to be changed.

k&r

[swilton]

14. Great Coverage

Thanks for posting!

[antigop]

15. You are welcome. I thought it was great. nt