Three (3) more pinocchios delivered to Sanders. He's gonna need a bigger cabinet to store them all..

[Surya Gayatri]

FACTCHECKER: Sanders's claim that free trade made offshore tax schemes easier.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/04/09/sanderss-claim-that-panama-free-trade-deal-enabled-more-offshore-tax-scams/

“What the Panamanian free-trade agreement did is enable large corporations and the wealthiest people — not just in this country but around the world — to participate in massive tax-avoidance schemes. I was on the floor of the United States Senate in opposition to the Panama free-trade agreement for precisely that reason. What I was concerned about then and what turned out to be true is that that trade agreement will give large corporations in this country and in fact corporations around the world a capability of avoiding paying taxes to their own governments.”

–Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), remarks in
Philadelphia, April 6, 2016

[DemonGoddess]

1. how many is that now in the last, what month?

17 give or take, yes?

[NurseJackie]

2. He's got a nice collection! :-D

[2pooped2pop]

28. we are still waiting for Hillary to get just one truthiness award

She never will.

[rock]

77. We should have suspected something from that (whole) slogan

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. Fell the bern."

[seabeyond]

3. That wood nose, as it gets longer, has to be weighing his down. Just saying. What are we up to? Nt

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Oh, a nice baker's dozen, at least. And, that's only in the last week! LOL!

Here's his tale, in French!

[seabeyond]

6. How about Italian? Nt

[Surya Gayatri]

8. I can only speak French. Understand Italian pretty well, but can't speak.

[seabeyond]

14. How fun is that. I know je na se pas. Lol. All I remember.

Both boys are taking years of Spanish and they are having a blast with it. The further they get, the better they are at understanding other languages. My oldest is in a very diverse University in New Orleans. He loves the diversity so much, I do not knwo that I am ever gonna get him back, lol.

Coolest.

[Surya Gayatri]

15. Well Stateside, Spanish is by far the most intelligent choice.

I live in France, so the language is a must.

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

5. The American People told Washington Post where they can go shove those Pinocchios.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. Ya know, if St. Bernardo keeps this up, those figures are bound to change...

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

12. Nope, everyone knows Washington Post's M.O.

Its a Corporate Oligarchy propaganda rag.

[Surya Gayatri]

13. Keep preaching to your peeps...LOL!

[dogman]

20. Keep swift boating for yours.

[Surya Gayatri]

23. Did St. Bernard serve? I thought I heard that he applied for

and was accorded "conscientious objector" status.

[dogman]

24. I guess you have a different concept of swiftboating.

To myself and some others, it is taking a persons strength and demeaning it to damage their image with the public. Bernie was right about the Panama scandal, he predicted it, so lie and deny.

[Ned_Devine]

27. Wow! Are you really going to use that as an attack?

I thought that was what being liberal was about; opposing unjust wars. Is this the road you want to go down?

[Surya Gayatri]

30. Use what?

His newly-acquired pinocchio collection? Well, it IS kind of ironic for the "transparent" candidate...LOL!

[Ned_Devine]

31. Ok, I can be coy too. I really love yogurt but I feel like the granola I add is too fattening

[Surya Gayatri]

34. Plain from half-skimmed milk is the most healthy.

[Ned_Devine]

41. I eat the fat free organic greek from Whole Foods

But I know I should be getting off dairy altogether because of the dairy industry. It's tough though.

[Surya Gayatri]

43. At least three (3) "laitages" or dairy products daily - says my rheumatologist.

[Ned_Devine]

46. I love dairy for the protein and taste, but

...the dairy industry is just as brutal as the beef and poultry industry. That's why my gf is a vegan. Hey! Look at you and me having a conversation!

[Surya Gayatri]

48. Who knew? It IS possible...Diary farming can be done much more sustainably.

They're doing a lot of research on it in France.

[Ned_Devine]

51. Of course they are

[Surya Gayatri]

53. In the world's center for fine cheese and gastronomy, they're not about to abandon

their dairy industry. Not bloody likely. Yum, yum.

[NastyRiffraff]

64. Don't forget the Illuminati!

The Post is clearly under their thumb.

[Warren DeMontague]

70. ....yeah, Any day now

This time For sure!

[okasha]

57. And where are the corresponding. numbers for

Democrats

People over 30

Women

People of color?

[beaglelover]

7. Does St Bernard ever NOT lie?????

[Surya Gayatri]

10. One is led to wonder...unavoidably.

[2pooped2pop]

29. this coming from the Hillary supporters?

OMG that is so fucking funny!

[stonecutter357]

69. "You're meeting with the Pope?" "Yup".

[2pooped2pop]

78. Sniper fire

And every "liberal" position taken
Almost every word spoken

[hobbit709]

11. I hope no one sprains their arms with all the self-congratulatory backslapping from a certain group

[Surya Gayatri]

17. No reports of injuries thus far. Hillary people are looking healthy and happy,

and they're loving the ironic humor.

[hobbit709]

18. Anyone with that much bile can't be happy.

[Surya Gayatri]

19. Bile, smile...we're just having a good, and well-earned laugh about St. Bernardo's

now badly tarnished halo.

[Cha]

16. "To us, it looks like the Obama administration’s diplomacy resulted in real progress.."

The United States particularly insisted on plugging the “bearer shares” loophole. Panama agreed and changed its laws accordingly — before the free-trade agreement reached the Senate and Mr. Sanders nevertheless voted “no,” claiming, wrongly, that it would make the tax haven “worse.”

In response to our questions, the Sanders campaign didn’t address the data, but said the administration had missed an opportunity to completely “eradicate” the Panama tax haven. To us, it looks like the Obama administration’s diplomacy resulted in real progress, and that if anyone’s entitled to say “I told you so” about that, it would be Ms. Clinton

Of course, President Obama is the smart one.

Thank you, Surya~

[Surya Gayatri]

21. BHO could run three times around the "smart" block, before Bern even got his

jogging shoes on! LOL!

[Vinca]

22. Next thing you know the FBI will be investigating him.

[Surya Gayatri]

25. $10,000,000 unaccounted for in his 27-buck piggy bank...

First the Federal Elections Commission and then, who knows?

[Vinca]

36. I'm sure it will be accounted for . . . assuming it's a true story.

After decades of following Bernie, he's probably the most honest politician in the history of politics. What amuses me most about you Bernie haters is you must know the numbers are in your favor so any gratuitous nastiness against Bernie doesn't hurt Bernie, it hurts Hillary. She needs Bernie voters to win.

[Surya Gayatri]

37. "Watch this space", as the news pros say...LOL!

[killbotfactory]

26. It's not like there is now a mountain of evidence the FTA tax transparency measures didn't work.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development called on Panama to meet international tax transparency standards on Monday, saying it was failing to live up to promises to share information with other countries.

Media revelations about the clients of a Panamanian law firm specialised in setting up offshore companies has thrust the country into the spotlight.

"The consequences of Panama's failure to meet the international tax transparency standards are now out there in full public view," OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said in a statement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/panama-tax-oecd-idUSL5N1774XC

To counter criticism that the Panama FTA would assist corporations seeking to dodge U.S. taxes via secretive Panama-based subsidiaries and bank accounts, in late 2010 the Obama administration announced a new Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Panama. However, a loophole in that agreement allows Panama to sidestep new tax transparency provisions if they are “contrary to the public policy” of Panama, an interesting concept for a country that earns much of its revenue by providing strict banking secrecy and tax-free status for foreign firms incorporated there.

https://www.citizen.org/documents/fta-trifecta-factsheet.pdf

[Eric J in MN]

67. I put your quote of the OECD head in a WaPo comment below the article. NT

NT

[Armstead]

32. If the Bezos Post ever decided to be as diligent in investigating Clinton....

They'd need a freight train to handle all the Pinnochios.

Often, with Sanders they use grey areas that are open to interpretation -- or outright omissions of important context -- to smear him, while the Clintons are blissfully ignored or apologized for.

That would be called a once-great and fair-minded newspaper that has been dumbed down and turned into a tool for its libertarian owner.

[Surya Gayatri]

39. Be gone, WaPo. I say, be gone!

[WhiteTara]

33. Back under the bus with the Washington Post!

The Post is valued when it bashes Clinton and reviled when it bashes Sanders. Today it's under the bus.

[Surya Gayatri]

38. No kidding...lots of hatin' on WaPo on display here!

[Politicalboi]

35. WOW they're on to something

This is exactly what the Panama Papers are about. How is this a lie? The WAPO is the one lying. I bet we find WAPO in the Panama Papers too.

[Thinkingabout]

40. Guess he has learned the err of his speaking, Jane says he has moved on, guess this retracts what he

says, he said it, that does not change.

[Surya Gayatri]

42. You may want to add your comments here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/04/09/sanderss-claim-that-panama-free-trade-deal-enabled-more-offshore-tax-scams/

You're welcome.

[Luminous Animal]

44. Actually, it did. And it is the Washington Post that deserves the pinocchios.

Here is some reporting from 2011:

It may not have a large economy, but Panama does have some of the most stringent bank secrecy laws in the world, making it extremely easy and inexpensive for U.S. citizens to set up offshore corporations and bank accounts. Establishing the corporation and bank account costs less than $2,000, and any money that Americans stash in these entities is not taxed. Bank secrecy laws and extremely lax corporate registration standards make it very difficult for the Internal Revenue Service to track transactions transferring funds to these Panamanian destinations from the United States. Small surprise, then, that Panama is home to nearly 400,000 offshore corporations, more than any other nation except Hong Kong.

“A tax haven . . . has one of three characteristics: It has no income tax or a very low-rate income tax; it has bank secrecy laws; and it has a history of noncooperation with other countries on exchanging information about tax matters,” said Rebecca Wilkins, senior counsel with Citizens for Tax Justice, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to improving U.S. tax policy. “Panama has all three of those. ... They’re probably the worst.”

The trade agreement with Panama would effectively bar the U.S. from cracking down on this activity. The U.S. would not be allowed to treat Panamanian financial services transactions differently from transactions in nations that are not tax havens. It would also be unable to pursue some standard anti-money laundering techniques in Panama. Combating tax haven abuse in Panama would be a violation of the trade agreement, exposing the U.S. to fines from international authorities.

And about that tax enforcement agreement.

But the tax enforcement agreement amounts to little more than a gesture, relying on a decades out-of-date framework that is not very effective at recovering lost tax revenue. Thanks to the TIEA, American tax officials can now obtain tax information on U.S. citizens stashing money in Panama. That’s great — if they already know which citizens are using Panama-based schemes to dodge U.S. taxes. But, of course, the IRS doesn’t actually know who is doing this — if it did, it wouldn’t need to gather bank account information in the first place.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/09/panama-trade-deal_n_922398.html

[Surya Gayatri]

45. You may want to add your comments here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/04/09/sanderss-claim-that-panama-free-trade-deal-enabled-more-offshore-tax-scams/

You're welcome.

[Fawke Em]

83. You have to pay for a subscription to add comments...

And I wouldn't purchase that rag to wrap day-old fish.

[Surya Gayatri]

85. Perhaps you could appropriate someone else's day-old copy?

If you really want to give them a piece of your mind...?

[liberal N proud]

47. K&R

[Surya Gayatri]

50. Hey L n P, thanks for checking in...

[Betty Karlson]

49. As long as the WP acts like a Hill-bully, I don't care how many wooden boys they inflict on Sanders:

in the end David Brock is the puppeteer, and I don't trust any of the strings he tries to put on us.

[Surya Gayatri]

56. Perhaps you might enjoy this cartoon in French?

Take your mind off the machiavellian ogre, David Brock.

[Gothmog]

52. Sanders keep on getting caught in bald face lies

[Surya Gayatri]

54. Poor fella just can't seem to cop a break...LOL!

[PatrickforO]

55. These pinocchios are disingenuous at best.

'Free trade' agreements in general are about the movement of capital, not goods. To this end, they promote offshoring production facilities, and when combined with the loopholes in the corporate tax code, do in fact allow corporations to 'offshore' profit and thus avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

So, just out of curiosity, Surya, where do you stand on free trade in general and the TPP specifically? Just wondering, because Clinton helped develop key parts of the TPP under the guise of 'economic statecraft' and even bragged about her role in a 2011 speech to the NY Economic Club. Sanders has opposed so-called 'free trade' from the get-go.

So why are you crucifying Sanders with bullshit like Vatican-gate, and this crap from the corporate owned WaPo???

Really? Do you want a better country? One that isn't an oligarchic police state? Then Bernie's your candidate. Clinton not so much.

[ucrdem]

59. TTP isn't a "free trade" agreement and is absolutely about the movement of goods.

What it's supposed to accomplish: The long and short is that it's part of President Obama's plan to grow the economy, to borrow Bill Clinton's phrase, by creating export markets for US goods and new US jobs producing them. Additionally the TPP provides a rather detailed regulatory framework for the protection of intellectual property, services and investments, labor rights, and the environment.

Read all about it right here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6793235

And Bernie never misses a chance to obfuscate complicated legislation.

[PatrickforO]

61. Oh, please. READ the text of the TPP

It allows corporations to sue national, state and local governments who try to regulate their operations on the basis of inhibiting profits. The ISDS provisions, to my mind, are an insidious path by which corporations can negate what little democracy still survives in this country.

[ucrdem]

62. I have. You can, too. I gave you a link. Here's the latest:

Table of contents (better link): https://medium.com/the-trans-pacific-partnership/table-of-contents-83d9de8d01b5#.a9nt8g2p7

[Jitter65]

73. and if one reads the text through you will find the this is the most intensive effort to level

trade agreement field ever put together. Read the entire agreement.

[JRLeft]

81. You left out the corporate tribunals.

[MattSh]

58. WaPo is a f*cking joke.

You'd expect this kind of stuff from Buzzfeed. WaPo is racing them to the journalism bottom.

[Surya Gayatri]

63. There's always the option of a comment or LTTE if you disagree:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/04/09/sanderss-claim-that-panama-free-trade-deal-enabled-more-offshore-tax-scams/

You're welcome.

[ucrdem]

60. Yeppers.

[UtahLib]

65. LOL! eom

[Eric J in MN]

66. The point of the agreement was to make it easier for Americans to invest in a tax haven.

A disclaimer in the agreement that "nothing in this Agreement shall apply to taxation measures" doesn't stop rich Americans from putting their money in Panama to avoid taxes.

[Surya Gayatri]

68. WaPo would certainly be glad to have your feedback...

They can be contacted here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/04/09/sanderss-claim-that-panama-free-trade-deal-enabled-more-offshore-tax-scams/

You're welcome.

[AgingAmerican]

71. The Washington post isn't factcheck.org

[Surya Gayatri]

72. No, but they Do do fact checking and have found Sanders wanting.

[Jitter65]

74. Hillary will handle this in the next debate. Waiting for BS to bring it up along with ALL

the other fact-checked lies.

[Surya Gayatri]

75. Rubbing my hands in anticipation of her giving him the royal

smack down and public nose-rubbing he deserves, for all of these climb-downs and back-tracks.

[hobbit709]

76. and about 9000 Pinocchios for Camp Bansalot.

[Cha]

79. KICK!

[Surya Gayatri]

80. Well done...interesting thread, needs more visibility.

[Fawke Em]

82. From the fucking establishment media?

Who cares?

[Surya Gayatri]

84. Be gone, foul WaPo, be gone I say!