Republicans are the enemy- except on trade issues

[Novara]

42. Why don't you tell me why it's such a good thing?

I admit I don't understand it. I've heard pros and cons about protecting intellectual property - the most recent con I read was that generic drugs would be all but impossible to obtain globally (Doctors Witout Borders are against it for that reason). This puts money back into Big Pharma, who already seems to be doing just fine, thank you.

I also hear that labor costs are increasing globally, possibly making manufacturing here more sensible when you consider logistic costs like shipping and fees. But the TPP doesn't guarantee factories will be built here. This is speculation.

I've read conflicting information about "making" trade partners adhere to our environmental protections, but yet they can sue us if doing so cuts into their profits? How does that make any sense? Which is the truth here?

Intellectual property - yeah, I can see protecting that, but again, this will benefit those at the top, not the middle class. Like Monsanto, which is already evil. I can just imagine them applying their same strong-arm tactics that they've used with American farmers on a global scale.

There are strong opinions about this and it isn't always easy to separate fact from opinion. So then I look to see who is for it and who is against it. Republicans are for it, which should tell me all I need to know. Doctors Without Borders are against it, as are several environmental groups. That should tell me something too. In addition, the people I DO trust on the economy - like Elizabeth Warren - are against it. Paul Krugman is against it:

<snip>

Well, we should never forget that in a direct sense, protecting intellectual property means creating a monopoly – letting the holders of a patent or copyright charge a price for something (the use of knowledge) that has a zero social marginal cost. In that direct sense this introduces a distortion that makes the world a bit poorer.

I encourage people to read Krugman's article. He isn't screaming NO! but he makes some good points, mostly, is this really necessary?