General Discussion

Elwood P Dowd

(11,453 posts)

123. "every free trade deal we sign" ???

Tue Jun 9, 2015, 02:27 AM

Jun 2015

We haven't signed a real free trade deal in decades. All the recent ones are nothing but outsourcing/investment scams with the words free trade tacked on to suck in people. For decades now our USTR, Commerce, Treasury, USDA, and all the other agencies involved with trade have been taken over by corporate lawyers, corporate lobbyists, and corporate bean counters that write the damn things. The liberal groups that oppose these fake free trade deals are always outspent 10-1 and 20-1 when it comes time for Congress to vote on them.

The sectors you mentioned are not coming even remotely close to slowing down the growing and massive trade deficit which is now over 8 trillion dollars total the past 30 years. No need to worry for you though, I'm sure you will find some new revisionist corporate study that says losing trillions in trade deficits is good for us.

As for scrapping and services, that is a joke. Shipping our waste and recycle overseas is now something to brag about? And a single person could generate millions of dollars in service exports with some good old fashion Wall Street paper shuffling. Those two are certainly not going to put a dent in the hundreds of billions in merchandise trade deficits every year.

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Obama's Fast Track Attack On Women - HuffPo [View all] WillyT Jun 2015 OP

Who cares about women? I doubt THIS will get a thousand comments, it's just one of those sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #1

+a kazillion! marym625 Jun 2015 #2

I think it would probably depend on who said the 'bad words'. sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #29

snicker marym625 Jun 2015 #30

Love you back! sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #39

It will be interesting to see who does or doesn't respond. nm rhett o rick Jun 2015 #15

Quick check confirms a suspicious absence nt Bonobo Jun 2015 #124

But the TPP is the "Gold Standard" of trade agreements! Art_from_Ark Jun 2015 #16

But for whom is it the Gold Standard? Did anyone ask that question? Certainly not for women sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #41

It is the "standard" Art_from_Ark Jun 2015 #43

Doing the wishes of her boss. lark Jun 2015 #44

Yes! Not holding my breath to see same kind of outrage from a play on words! Divernan Jun 2015 #23

And You Would Be Correct... WillyT Jun 2015 #89

Always an interesting measure---compare response rates BlancheSplanchnik Jun 2015 #3

K&R! marym625 Jun 2015 #4

Anytime marym625... Anytime... WillyT Jun 2015 #5

Just so you know marym625 Jun 2015 #6

LOL !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #7

Glad you like it! marym625 Jun 2015 #8

Thanks passiveporcupine Jun 2015 #24

ain't it though? marym625 Jun 2015 #25

What a great bounce it's been, in just a few weeks without ANY corporate bribes, or donations as sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #73

Exactly! marym625 Jun 2015 #77

What struck me about the title of the article was imo, the mis-use of the phrase 'Feel the Bern'. sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #79

You are just over analyzing marym625 Jun 2015 #80

Lol, that was way off topic. But I was thinking of the MSNBC story re Bernie which your reference to sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #81

lol! marym625 Jun 2015 #82

I was reading about Bernie on a woman's right for equal pay for equal work today and thinking that sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #84

YES HE IS. YES WE ARE! marym625 Jun 2015 #85

NH is appparently already 'feeling the Bern' which is why he told us that little secret! Lol! sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #86

Well, I think probably a majority of the women on DU DO care about the issues that sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #34

yep marym625 Jun 2015 #40

How about we make a point nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #42

Yes, in many ways it is our fault. I was on another very big liberal forum before DU and the sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #49

I doubt we can take over HOF, but we can try to nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #51

I don't want to derail Willy's great post marym625 Jun 2015 #54

Will send you a link nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #55

Thank! eom marym625 Jun 2015 #57

And yet, this IS a very serious issue for women, not just here, but as these trade agreements that sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #74

It is the whole group should be stamping feet right about now nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #75

Telling, but predictable ... sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #78

Absolutely nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #83

It's like bizzaro world here. Katashi_itto Jun 2015 #60

You Are Quite Welcome !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #47

I can do both. deurbano Jun 2015 #48

okey dokey then marym625 Jun 2015 #50

I can't speak to the motives of others. deurbano Jun 2015 #56

Hey deurbano... Thanks For Stepping Up... I Agree... We Can Do Both... Yet... WillyT Jun 2015 #58

I appreciate this particular, illuminating OP... and all you contribute. I really mean that. deurbano Jun 2015 #69

Great Point !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #71

I really regret my comment marym625 Jun 2015 #59

+ 1,000,000,000... What You Said !!! - No Apologies Necessary !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #62

Oh thanks! marym625 Jun 2015 #63

Not trying to derail this at all. Completely agree on all counts about the TPP. deurbano Jun 2015 #65

I realize you were not trying to derail marym625 Jun 2015 #68

I sure hope so! My conservative dad was something of a populist, deurbano Jun 2015 #70

ya never know! maybe he will surprise you! marym625 Jun 2015 #72

That's a fair position to take, very fair. And it is most likely the position most reasonable sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #76

Amazing, that.. whathehell Jun 2015 #132

Interesting. Has NOW taken a position as well? I'm not sure how one advocates for any underserved Jefferson23 Jun 2015 #9

Only thing I can find quickly on it marym625 Jun 2015 #11

Thank you marym, I am trying to find more too as that statement, although a good indicator they Jefferson23 Jun 2015 #14

I just found this. very interesting marym625 Jun 2015 #18

K&R CharlotteVale Jun 2015 #10

Call your politicians now and keep calling to oppose this horrid "trade" deal (corporate coup) Dont call me Shirley Jun 2015 #12

+1000 marym625 Jun 2015 #19

I'm gonna keep saying it, marym! Thank you! Dont call me Shirley Jun 2015 #20

Thank you, Surely! marym625 Jun 2015 #21

Great posts, marym! Dont call me Shirley Jun 2015 #27

couldn't agree more! marym625 Jun 2015 #28

Thank you they DO need to keep hearing from the people, a majority of whom oppose this deal. sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #87

Kicked and recommended a whole bunch! Enthusiast Jun 2015 #13

TAA is and has always been a sham. Fuddnik Jun 2015 #17

The hof are as a group staunch obamanauts Doctor_J Jun 2015 #22

True believers have been immunized against cognitive dissonance. Divernan Jun 2015 #129

K&R jwirr Jun 2015 #26

The sad part is whatchamacallit Jun 2015 #31

This should offend every woman in this country. That our government would sign away sabrina 1 Jun 2015 #37

'tis whatchamacallit Jun 2015 #38

It doesn't seem the TPP is good for anyone A Little Weird Jun 2015 #32

Great outreach. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2015 #33

This ain't no trade agreement. Its a farce! d_legendary1 Jun 2015 #35

This will be a disaster nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #36

TPP Thespian2 Jun 2015 #45

rec & kick MerryBlooms Jun 2015 #46

"secure soundproof reading room" kind of says it all. DirkGently Jun 2015 #52

"There's no benefit of the doubt left to give." - EXACTLY !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #53

K & R historylovr Jun 2015 #61

The absence of a particular DUer on this thread is shriekingly loud. cherokeeprogressive Jun 2015 #64

ah yes, our Chief TPP Pimp Skittles Jun 2015 #66

As someone I respect greatly is wont to say... cherokeeprogressive Jun 2015 #67

Late Evening Kick !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #88

That contains probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard about the TPP Recursion Jun 2015 #90

Not Stupid... It's ALWAYS Been The Question... WillyT Jun 2015 #91

What high paying jobs will be created by increasing US exports? Recursion Jun 2015 #94

Yep... Black & White As Hell... WillyT Jun 2015 #97

And some people are simply too stupid to understand that...... Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #92

+ 1,000,000,000 - Perfect !!! WillyT Jun 2015 #93

Wages and household incomes went *up* after NAFTA, not down Recursion Jun 2015 #95

The rooster crowed this morning about 4:30 AM. Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #96

And if I claimed "the rooster prevents the sun from coming up" Recursion Jun 2015 #98

It sure as hell hurt the economy for the 700,000 who lost their jobs because of it. Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #99

And it was great for the million or so who gained jobs from it Recursion Jun 2015 #100

Million Here, Or Somewhere Around The World... Same High Wages As Here, Or Lowered Expectations??? WillyT Jun 2015 #102

Well, given that median wages and household incomes went *up* during that period Recursion Jun 2015 #103

Bill Gates Walks Into My Bar, And... WillyT Jun 2015 #105

No. Bill Gates walking into the bar doesn't change the median Recursion Jun 2015 #107

And a fake free trade deal like NAFTA didn't have a damn thing to do with incomes going up Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #106

Did Those 700,000 Get A Job Back That Had The Same Wages And Defined Benfits ??? WillyT Jun 2015 #104

Most of them did, yes Recursion Jun 2015 #108

So... Please Explain THIS: WillyT Jun 2015 #109

Exactly. The problem long predates free trade. Recursion Jun 2015 #111

So you know for a fact that all those people who lost their factory jobs found better paying ones Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #110

I would be surprised if all of them did Recursion Jun 2015 #112

You keep posting from your list of corporate talking points. Looks like something I would be Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #113

I've always said there were job losses as well as job gains Recursion Jun 2015 #115

Wow... (NOT YOUR WORDS) Yet... WillyT Jun 2015 #114

People lose jobs every day. You get that, right? Recursion Jun 2015 #116

No No... There's A Natural Attrtition... But NOT A Governmental Push... Until Recetly... WillyT Jun 2015 #117

I work in IT. I've never had a "safe" job Recursion Jun 2015 #118

I Worked In IT Also... Until 9/11... WillyT Jun 2015 #119

Just how do fake free trade deals that close thousands of factories and export millions of Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #120

Well, heavy manufacturing does pretty well under most FTAs Recursion Jun 2015 #122

"every free trade deal we sign" ??? Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #123

Umm... we've signed 3 in the past 5 years Recursion Jun 2015 #125

Yet our trade deficits continue to grow. It's grown quite a bit with Korea along with Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #126

There was not a *net* loss of 50,000 jobs to Korea Recursion Jun 2015 #127

Actually, it was 75,000 lost jobs. Elwood P Dowd Jun 2015 #128

Did You Catch THIS: WillyT Jun 2015 #101

Thank you Elwood. nm rhett o rick Jun 2015 #130

I Got So Side-Tracked... I Forgot To Mention... The Purpose Of The OP... WillyT Jun 2015 #121

I wish I could rec this post again. historylovr Jun 2015 #131