FTAs aren't trade agreements. They're vehicles to deregulate international investment [View all]

[cali]

in other words, they're huge corporate giveaways. And that's not much of a simplification. FTAs free corporations from government regulations. They enable corporations to override laws and regulations to protect "expected profits".



The 20th round of talks will take place in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 20 to 23.

What we do know about the TTP from leaked documents on Public Citizen is truly frightening. If the public knew what 600 corporate representatives were negotiating behind closed doors, there would surely be such a global outburst of protest, it would make the ground shake.

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As The Guardian explains, “The TPP is an effort to use the holy grail of free trade to impose conditions and override domestic laws in a way that would be almost impossible if the proposed measures had to go through the normal legislative process. The expectation is that by lining up powerful corporate interests, the governments will be able to ram this new ‘free trade’ pact through legislatures on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

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http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/15565614-obamas-free-trade-deal-creates-poverty-pollution-and-attacks-freedom

http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/lwp/nafta.pdf