Trans-Pacific Partnership: Transparency Through Secrecy [Archive]

Lucille

10-06-2015, 11:38 AM

The Trans Pacific Partnership deal is said to have been finalized this week and is waiting on a final House and Senate vote. They tell us the deal will bring great transparency -- but the text of the deal will remain secret for years. Washington loves Orwell.

"A breathtaking level of contempt that Washington has for American citizens."

"They also let 500 corporate leaders have special access to look over it, but the rest of us mere taxpayers have no opportunity to look at this."

"My guess is it will sound very populist in dealing with the people but I think agreements like this are directed toward protecting the 1%; the monied interests, the banking industry, the large corporations, and never the little guy."

"I don't like the bill because it's managed trade and, believe me, this is managed trade at its worst."

"It is going to be a big boost for world government. This is the main reason to be opposed to it because it is moving us rapidly to a huge increase in world government.

At the same time, it's a Constitutional issue. I have always voted against Fast Track, and the principle is very simple because the congress has the responsibility to regulate international commerce. That's an explicit authority given to the congress, and yet Fast Track comes along, instead of amending the Constitution if they want the president to run roughshod over it and deal with all the international trade, they should change the Constitution (which they never do, they just ignore it). So the congress passes a bill-and even if you were for it you should be against [Fast Track] if you're a Constitutionalist because what it does is turns the responsibility over to the president then he joins in on these secret negotiations that you're not allowed to know about, and then when it comes back to congress, they're not allowed to amend it!"

They talk about Rand calling out Rubio (his being the crucial 60th vote) on not reading it but voting for it anyway.

"NAFTA and CAFTA are small compared to this."

"It's a sovereignty issue."

"It's pretty alarming that according to some leaked versions of the TPP, it does go after the freedom of the internet. ... TPP will require internet service providers to police the internet and to enforce some of the regulations in the agreement. For example it's going to require providers to terminate users internet access for alleged violations of copyrights. So you're just cut off from the internet. It requires your provider to block a site if that site is suspected of containing copyrighted material. So that's a very convenient way of blocking information. And forcing companies to disclose the identity of users if they're suspected of copyright infringement."

Ron talks about the continued efforts in Washington to control the internet.

"This bill is a monster, and let's hope that this bill does not pass for the most basic reasons: It's unconstitutional, it's vicious, it serves the special interests, it doesn't deal with a weak economy."

The TPP means big government at its worst, and let's hope the American people and our congress wake up and reject it."