Tobacco "Smoking Gun" Shows Real TPP Agenda

[unhappycamper]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/dave-johnson/51483/tobacco-smoking-gun-shows-real-tpp-agenda

Tobacco "Smoking Gun" Shows Real TPP Agenda
by Dave Johnson | September 6, 2013 - 7:51am

I am sounding the alarm. Right now governments and the giant multinational corporations are engaged in writing a treaty that would overrule national laws that try to rein in what these giant corporations can do to us. This treaty will allow corporations to sue governments for “lost profits” if governments try to enforce environmental, health, labor and other laws. One “smoking gun” example that shows us what this treaty is about is an argument over whether to “carve out” special treatment for tobacco because it is so harmful, or give it the same protections that other corporations and their products are due to receive.

The upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) “trade” deal has been called the “corporate death star.” It is a NAFTA-on-steroids that goes so far beyond “trade” that it isn’t really about “trade” at all. TPP is about putting corporate and investor rights above the rights of regular people.

TPP is being negotiated with a rigged process, designed from the start to end really, really well for the giant, multinational corporations and the billionaires they front for. Multinational corporations are at the table. Government representatives hoping to end up with lucrative corporate payoffs are at the table. NOT at the table: labor groups, consumer groups, health groups, environmental groups, human rights groups, civil rights groups, democracy advocates, representatives of smaller, local, not-giant-multinational businesses, potential competitors of the already-at-the-top giants, or any other “stakeholder” group that could possibly oppose the corporate agenda.

The “smoking gun” proving that TPP is about elevating corporate rights over the ability of governments to make their own laws comes from an attempt by tobacco companies to outlaw public-health anti-tobacco efforts as part of the treaty. Tobacco companies of course want the same protections other corporations and their products are receiving under this corporate-negotiated treaty.

[daleanime]

1. K&R....

[CrispyQ]

2. We are so fucked if this goes through.

Kick.

[Deny and Shred]

3. When do laid-off workers get to sue for lost wages?

Suing for lost profits because a government has regulations - this is beyond disturbing.

[Ford_Prefect]

4. IF the TPP violates Constitutional protections how does it get ratified?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Historians will mark this as one of the things that brought down Capitalism.

[TheJames]

6. K & R n/t