Sounds great in theory, however as the already leaked documents indicate, this will
mean higher drug prices for consumers(pharmaceutical companies get extended patents)
I didn't see anything preventing corporations from closing down shop here and
relocating to vietnam and paying those workers 12 cents an hour. Beyond a token TAA
for extended unemployment benefits, I didn't see any worker protections for our jobs
here.
I also noticed that not all parts of any trade agreement would be made public.
You only get to know what they will allow you to know and nothing more. I'm still
reading this, Let me know what you find in this document that I'm either missing or
misinterpreting.
Corporations will be able to sue countries for lost profits from environmental and
consumer/worker protection laws that may get made according to the Wikileaks
documents.
Makes null and void any reference as to where a product comes from. So your
hamburger could come from China, Korea, an EU country or anywhere else and you
aren't allowed to know from where. Many countries have lax food safety standards and
this is what we will be subjecting ourselves to. If you want to know where your food
comes from and how it's raised and processed, you will need to start buying directly
from your local farmers or grow your own food if you aren't willing to be made a
guinea pigs for chemicals used in other counties that are banned here.
https://www.congress.gov/...
%22search%22%3A%5B%22passed+both+houses%22%5D%7D
https://www.congress.gov/...
%22%3A%5B%22passed+both+houses%22%5D%7D
This page alone is totally wrong. Israel should be punished for war crimes via sanctions
and divestments(Of course the USA is also guilty of such things)
"(i) To discourage actions by potential trading partners that directly or indirectly
prejudice or otherwise discourage commercial activity solely between the United States
and Israel.
(ii) To discourage politically motivated actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction
Israel and to seek the elimination of politically motivated nontariff barriers on Israeli
goods, services, or other commerce imposed on the State of Israel.
(iii) To seek the elimination of state-sponsored unsanctioned foreign boycotts against
Israel or compliance with the Arab League Boycott of Israel by prospective trading
partners.
(B) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the term “actions to boycott, divest from, or
sanction Israel” means actions by states, non-member states of the United Nations,
international organizations, or affiliated agencies of international organizations that are
politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial
relations specifically with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli-
controlled territories."
Allows for changes in existing US laws:
(3) BILLS QUALIFYING FOR TRADE AUTHORITIES PROCEDURES.—(A) The
provisions of section 151 of the Trade Act of 1974 (in this title referred to as “trade
authorities procedures”) apply to a bill of either House of Congress which contains
provisions described in subparagraph (B) to the same extent as such section 151 applies
to implementing bills under that section. A bill to which this paragraph applies shall
hereafter in this title be referred to as an “implementing bill”.
(B) The provisions referred to in subparagraph (A) are—
(i) a provision approving a trade agreement entered into under this subsection and
approving the statement of administrative action, if any, proposed to implement such
trade agreement; and
(ii) if changes in existing laws or new statutory authority are required to implement
such trade agreement or agreements, only such provisions as are strictly necessary or
appropriate to implement such trade agreement or agreements, either repealing or
amending existing laws or providing new statutory authority.
(c) Extension Disapproval Process For Congressional Trade Authorities Procedures.—
Shown Here:
Passed Senate amended (05/22/2015)
Trade Act of 2015
TITLE I--TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY
.....
(Sec. 212) Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985
(Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), with respect to the implementation of direct spending
reductions, to require the President to order a sequestration for FY2024 that increases
from 0.0% to 0.25% the reduction of Medicare payments for the second six months of
the order.
con't:
I still need to read the rest of it.
Here is the transcript of Pres Obama's speech:
Remarks by the President at Signing of the Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act and the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015
East Room
2:10 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Well, welcome to the White House. I thought we’d start off the week with something we should do more often -- a truly bipartisan bill signing. (Applause.)
For six and a half years, we’ve worked to rescue the economy from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, to get it growing again and to rebuild it on a new foundation for prosperity. Today, our businesses have created more than 12 million new jobs in the past five years -- that's the longest streak of job growth on record; 401(k)s have been replenished; the housing market is stronger; and more than 16 million Americans have gained the financial security of health insurance. (Applause.)
But a constantly changing economy demands our constant effort to protect hardworking Americans and protect their success. And one of the things we ought to be doing is rewriting the rules of global trade to make sure that they benefit American workers and American businesses, and that they reflect American values -- especially now, while our economy is in a position of global strength. The two bills that I’ll sign today will help America do just that.
The first will help us pass new, 21st century trade agreements with higher standards and tougher protections than those that we’ve signed before. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, for example, includes strong protections for workers and the environment. Unlike previous agreements, those provisions will actually be enforceable. And that’s good for American businesses and America workers because we already meet high standards than -- higher standards than most of the rest of the world. So we want to make sure that everybody else catches up. This agreement will help us level the playing field.
The second bill offers even more support for American workers. It renews and expands the trade adjustment assistance program, which provides job training and other assistance to tens of thousands of American workers every year. It gives us new tools to help American steelworkers and folks in other critical industries fight against unfair practices by other countries. It also reauthorizes AGOA, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has had strong bipartisan support for many years now, and which helps open up markets in Africa to American businesses while making it easier for African businesses to sell their products in America. And we’re extending a similar program to Haiti, and renewing support for other development -- developing economies through what’s known as the Generalized System of Preferences.
Now, I think it’s fair to say that getting these bills through Congress has not been easy. (Laughter.) They’ve been declared dead more than once. They have inspired long and passionate debates -- and that’s entirely appropriate for our democracy. That’s how this country is supposed to work. We're supposed to make sure that we air our differences and then, ultimately, Congress works its will -- especially on issues that inspire strongly held feelings on all sides.
But I would not be doing this, I would not be signing these bills if I was not absolutely convinced that these pieces of legislation are ultimately good for American workers. I would not be signing them if I wasn’t convinced they’d be good for American businesses. I would not be signing them if I did not know that they will give us a competitive edge in this new economy, and that that new economy cannot be reversed. We have to embrace it.
This legislation will help turn global trade -- which can often be a race to the bottom -- into a race to the top. It will reinforce America’s leadership role in the world -– in Asia, and in Europe, and beyond. If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t have fought so hard to get these things done.
So this is a good day. And I want to thank everybody who has helped us get it -- get to this day. We’ve got small business owners, environmental and global development groups, other advocates who were a big part of this campaign. We’ve got some outstanding members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat, who came together to make this happen. I want to name just a few. Although Congress is on recess, I think it’s important to acknowledge Speaker John Boehner and Leader Mitch McConnell; Senators Orrin Hatch, Ron Wyden and Patty Murray; Congressmen Paul Ryan, Ron Kind and Pat Tiberi. And thanks to all the senators and representatives who took tough votes and encouraged their colleagues to do the same.
This was a true bipartisan effort. And it’s a reminder of what we can get done –- even on the toughest issues -- when we work together in a spirit of compromise. I hope we’re going to be able to summon that same spirit on future challenges, like starting to rebuild some of our roads and bridges and infrastructure around the country -- (applause) -- because the American people deserve nothing less from us.
Let me just make one more comment. The trade authorization that’s provided here is not the actual trade agreements. So we still have some tough negotiations that are going to be taking place. There has always been concern that people want transparency in those agreements -- under this authorization, these agreements will be posted on a website for a long period of time for people to scrutinize, and take a look at, and pick apart.
And so the debate on the particular provisions of trade will not end with this bill signing. But I’m very confident that we’re going to be able to say at the end of the day that the trade agreements that come under this authorization are going to improve the system of trade that we have right now. And that’s a good thing.
I think it’s also important to note that trade is just one part of a broader agenda of middle-class economics. And so we’ve still got more work to do on infrastructure. We’ve still got more work to do on job training. We’ve still got more work to do on research and development. We’ve still got more work to do to make sure that folks are getting good wages for hard work. We’ve still got too many communities that are left behind around the country. We’ve still got more work to do to help support our small businesses, who are extraordinary job creators.
So this is not the end of the road; this is just one step in a long path to making sure that the next generation enjoys the extraordinary prosperity that our parents and grandparents passed down to us. And although there are going to be disagreements between the parties on particular elements, I think what we can agree on is that in this country, if you work hard, you should be able to get ahead no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love. (Applause.)
With that, let me sign this piece of legislation. (Applause.)
(The bill is signed.)
All right. For those of you who work for me, get back to work. (Laughter.)
Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)
END
2:23 P.M. EDT
https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
--------------------------------------------------
Why is the TPP Deal Such a Big Secret?
https://www.youtube.com/...
Other reading:
Labors so called seat at the table
http://www.aflcio.org/...
Free Trade Disagreement
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Why the TPP Agenda Is Straight out of Alice in Wonderland
The arguments for fast-track are completely ridiculous.
http://www.alternet.org/...
AFL/CIO LETTER
http://www.aflcio.org/...
Wiki Leaks TPP docs:
https://wikileaks.org/...
https://wikileaks.org/...
https://wikileaks.org/...
https://wikileaks.org/...
https://wikileaks.org/...
https://wikileaks.org/...
https://wikileaks.org/...