Democracy Now: TPP (Public Citizen vs. Cato Institute)

[mother earth]

[zeemike]

1. Lori Wallace kicked Mr Cato Instituter's ass on this.

And it points out that they are Libertarian in name only.
Well done Lori Wallace.

[panfluteman]

2. Boy, Bill - What a Sly Weasel and a Sneaky Sophist You Are!

Gadzooks! What a sneaky, conniving SOB that Bill guy from the Cato Institute was! It seems like from the very beginning of his discourse on the TPP, that he was talking out of both sides of his mouth, and out to confuse and deceive us. By contrast, the lady from Public Citizen was clear, straightforward and unambiguous. Who would you trust? Her and congress, the democratic process and a truly free and objective media (at least what remains of it when you get beyond the corporate shills), of course! This little debate shows how important it is to have a well informed, well educated public that is able to think straight, think for themselves, and not get misled by the BS of those sophists and demagogues from conservative corporate think tanks into giving away our most precious rights and freedoms, in order to retain our democracy in the face of a merciless corporate onslaught.

[JDPriestly]

3. These are the "enumerated" powers of Congress:

Section 8.

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei

Establishing the laws regarding patents is the job of Congress. Gradually, bit by bit, we are throwing our Constitution out the window. It is very sad because our Constitution guarantees that we have orderly processes for working together as a nation. The TPP has the potential to do a lot of damage not just to our national sovereignty but to our national unity.

And it will cost us a lot of jobs.

[wildbilln864]

5. well that one about coining money...

"To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin," they gave that power away decades ago. One of the reasons things are so screwed up.

[JDPriestly]

6. Yes!

[TheJames]

4. Infuriating!!!

This man is lying through his teeth.

[fasttense]

7. As a libertarian he should object to global laws

that define, prevent, fine, arbitrate and control every being in the countries signing onto TPP. Why is he advocating for more controls and laws over people? Why does he want to force more rules and constrictions on human activities? He seems to be advocating something libertarians are suppose to abhor.