President Obama's Push for Fast-Track Trade Authority

[Dwight42]

There are many issues in the TPP that our trading partners don't like. They don't like rules that will force them to pay more for drugs from Pfizer and Merck, nor do they like rules that will make them pay more money to Time Warner for Hollywood movies, or to Microsoft for software. But President Obama seems willing to risk a rebellion from our trading partners to get higher profits for the pharmaceutical, entertainment, and software industries. It is only when the question is one of jobs for U.S. workers that the risk of such a rebellion becomes an unacceptable price.

This administration as well as the Clinton administration suppoort for Nafta and GAT could have sponsored trade deals that would advance the interests of workers in the United States. For example, if we focused on reducing patent and copyright protections nationally and internationally, we could save hundreds of billions annually on drugs and other products. We could also loosen professional barriers that cause our doctors to earn twice as much as their counterparts in other wealthy countries, leading to huge savings in healthcare costs.

But these items are not on President Obama's trade agenda. Rather, it is dominated by a list of measures that are likely to increase inequality. And if his trade deals are defeated because they refuse to take any steps to redress the trade deficit and the loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs to trade, it will not be bad news for the country.

Redacted from ; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/trade-crazy-the-push-for_b_6740130.html

[msongs]

1. getting my amigos and online "friends" to call our 2 dems senators as often as they can to say NO

to fast track authority and also to request the entire TPP be posted on the public internet before any voting takes place

[Dwight42]

2. Good idea but..........

Never happen. If the public woke up, something the government will never let happen because of the media propaganda they would be rioting in the streets. Instead they are glued to their TV's and I-pods.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Stopped reading here ...

There are many issues in the TPP that our trading partners don't like. They don't like rules that will force them to pay more for drugs from Pfizer and Merck, nor do they like rules that will make them pay more money to Time Warner for Hollywood movies, or to Microsoft for software. But President Obama seems willing to risk a rebellion from our trading partners to get higher profits for the pharmaceutical, entertainment, and software industries.

If our trade partners don't want the terms of the deal in the agreement, they will not agree to it ... fast-track or no.