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Bernie on TPP: 'It’s not for raising wages or creating jobs, it is to protect corporate profits'
Lynette Davis ?@LynetteDavis5Bernie Sanders Roasts TPP-Like Provision: A Crime To Prevent Lung Cancer (VIDEO) http://fb.me/3ZUBi9usd
___Sanders’ third reason “why we should oppose this trade agreement,” starting at the 10:09 mark in the video, was his most extensive and chilling comment.
He discussed what he called “a provision which has gotten far too little attention,” the Investor-State Dispute Settlement.
“It will allow large multinational corporations to sue national, state and local governments, not just in the United States, but all over the world, if those governments pass legislation that hurts their expected future profits. This, to me, is exactly about what this whole agreement stands for. It’s not for raising wages or creating jobs, it is to protect corporate profits. And, unbelievably, what this legislation is prepared to do, is to undermine basic democracy, in terms of what local communities around the world–states in the United States, national governments, whether it’s the United States or any other government–does if it undermines future profits of large multinational corporations. That’s really extraordinary. I thought that our job, as members of the United States Senate, I thought the job of people in Australia who represent their government, people democratically elected all over the world, I had the idea, that maybe their function, was to represent as best they could the needs of the people who voted for them. I guess that’s a radical and crazy idea. Because what this bill says, that if legislation is passed by people who are democratically elected, those decisions, that legislation, can be brought to an independent tribunal, and those countries could have to pay huge fines if the legislation, which might protect healthcare, or might protect the environment undermines future profit of multinational corporations. What an attack, not only on health and the environment, it is an attack on the fundamental tenets of democracy. Our job is not to worry about future corporate profits, our job is to worry about the needs of the American people, and that is what elected governments all over the world are supposed to do.
“Let me give you some examples, because we have not talked about this. But let me give you some examples of what is already going on around the world based on similar language to what will be in the TPP if we vote for it. Similar language. Mr. President, and this is maybe the most outrageous example that I can give you, but there are many others. Philip Morris, one of the large tobacco companies in the world, is suing both Australia and Uruguay over labeling requirements for cigarettes. Uruguay is this little country and what they have done has been very aggressive in trying to protect their children and their people from the very harmful impacts of smoking. Now, you know what? I happen to think that that is a good thing. I think in America and all over the world, we should do everything we can to make sure that our kids are not hooked on nicotine, do not have to suffer heart disease, cancer, emphysema and all of the other diseases related to smoking. I think our government should be very vigorous. We have done some things in our country, I think we should do more. Uruguay, a little tiny country, whose president turned out to be an oncologist, a guy who’s worried about cancer, was very active in trying to do everything he could to keep the kids of Uruguay getting hooked on cigarettes.
“And what happened to Uruguay? Well they were taken to this independent tribunal, composing, as I understand it, of three corporate lawyers, because Philip Morris said, ‘Hey Uruguay, you’re impacting our future profits! We want to get kids hooked onto nicotine! We want to sell our products to kids and to the people of Uruguay. And by fighting us, passing legislation, and doing things that will make it harder for kids to smoke, you are ruining our profits!’ And this case is now resting in an independent tribunal. How insane is that: That a country trying to protect its kids from getting cancer is being sued by Philip Morris because it might cost them profits?
“So this is not only just a health issue, in this case of cancer prevention, this is an issue of basic democracy. Do the people of Uruguay, do the people of Australia, do the people of any country, have a right to be very vigorous in protecting the health of their kids and their citizens without worrying about being sued by a cigarette manufacturer who is trying to poison these kids with deadly products? So this is not only a health issue, it is a basic democratic issue. And if Philip Morris wins this case, it will be sending a message to every government in the world: You can’t be aggressive in trying to protect your kids from cigarettes.”
read more/watch: http://reverbpress.com/world/watch-bernie-sanders-roasts-tpp-like-provision-crime-prevent-lung-cancer/
20 replies
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Hi, bvar! 
Seriously.
Enough is enough, the Empress has no clothes.
I'd like Warren but she isn't running, yet.
Right now, BERNIE!!!
