General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Chris Hedges: The Most Brazen Corporate Power Grab in American History [View all]monicaangela
(1,508 posts)This is the reason he supports it:
When we have a level playing field, Americans out-compete anyone in the world. Thats a fundamental truth about our country.
But right now, the rules of global trade put our workers, our businesses, and our values at a disadvantage.
If youre an autoworker in Michigan, the cars you build face taxes as high as 70 percent in Vietnam. If youre a worker in Oregon, youre forced to compete against workers in other countries that set lower standards and pay lower wages just to cut their costs. If youre a small business owner in Ohio, you might face customs rules that are confusing, costly, and an unnecessary barrier to selling abroad.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership will change that -- and you can read the complete text of it right here.
The TPP is the highest standard trade agreement in history. It eliminates 18,000 taxes that various countries put on American goods. That will boost Made-in-America exports abroad while supporting higher-paying jobs right here at home. And thats going to help our economy grow.
I know that past trade agreements havent always lived up to the hype. So I want to tell you a little bit about what makes this trade agreement so different, and so important.
The TPP includes the strongest labor standards in history, from requiring a minimum wage and worker safety regulations to prohibiting child labor and forced labor. It also includes the strongest environmental commitments in history, requiring countries in one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth to crack down on illegal wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and illegal fishing. These standards are at the core of the agreement and are fully enforceable -- which means we can bring trade sanctions against countries that dont step up their game.
And for the first time ever, well have a multilateral trade agreement that reflects the reality of the digital economy by promoting a free and open Internet and by preventing unfair laws that restrict the free flow of data and information.
In other words, the TPP means that America will write the rules of the road in the 21st century. When it comes to Asia, one of the worlds fastest-growing regions, the rulebook is up for grabs. And if we dont pass this agreement -- if America doesnt write those rules -- then countries like China will. And that would only threaten American jobs and workers and undermine American leadership around the world.
Thats why I am posting the text of this agreement here for you to read and explore.
Theres a lot in here, so weve put together summaries of each chapter to help you navigate whats in the agreement and what these new standards will mean for you.
Read it all in full right here.
I know that if you take a look at whats actually in the TPP, you will see that this is, in fact, a new type of trade deal that puts American workers first.
Take a look. Then make up your mind.
-- President Barack Obama
For those who haven't found the agreement yet, or who want to read it, here's the link: https://medium.com/the-trans-pacific-partnership
I have been reading the actual Agreement, and can't for the life of me figure out where he is getting all this BS that he is saying in the aforementioned WH.Gov statement. Does he think that this will somehow give the U.S. control of the rest of the parties participating and the world for that manner? Does he find someplace in this agreement a definite manner in which this nation can write the laws for all nations in the world? Doesn't he understand that it is CORPORATIONS that will be making all of these decisions, and the fact that corporate control hasn't worked out too good for the world so far.
I truly have no idea as to why he is supporting this unless he is actual more of a corporate democrat than I believed he was. I tell you the truth about my opinion, we really don't need anyone that is going to continue his policies if this is an example of what he wants continued. I watched the MSNBC forum with Rachel Maddow last night, and more than ever I believe we need BERNIE SANDERS and his ideas and policies to lead this nation after Obama leaves office. This Trade Agreement is exactly what Obama got into office saying he would oppose. I voted for him, WHAT HAPPENED?