I’m sure you’re as thrilled as I am now that the 2016 presidential election is under way. It’s already been amusing watching the awkward retractions regarding the Indiana religious freedom-to-discriminate law. The GOP clown car has left the building!
But there’s something that’s been going on behind closed doors for years that has even more serious implications – that’s the well-kept secret of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Unless you’ve been listening to “Democracy Now!” or some of the other forward-leaning news organizations, you’ve probably never heard of it. That’s by design. The short version of what the TPP is: NAFTA on steroids. If you liked the results of passing NAFTA (Thanks, Bill Clinton), you’re gonna love the TPP.
The long version details some of the most troubling aspects. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a highly secretive and expansive free trade agreement between the United States and 12 Pacific Rim countries, including Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
Leaked text reveals that the TPP would empower corporations to directly sue governments in private and nontransparent trade tribunals over laws and policies that corporations allege reduce their profits. The TPP would even elevate foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges – provided by the pact – by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to challenge public-interest policies that they claim frustrate their expectations. The tribunals would be authorized to order taxpayer compensation to the foreign corporations for the “expected future profits” they surmise would be inhibited by the challenged policies.
What could go wrong? The public is not allowed to see the draft TPP text. Even members of Congress, after being denied the text for years, are now only provided limited access. Meanwhile, more than 500 corporate “trade advisers” have special access. So much for transparency.
It doesn’t take a genius to assume the GOP candidates love this, but Obama is behind it, too! Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are, of course, against this looming train wreck, but what about Hillary? Is she just finishing what Bill started?
Bill Vana
Durango
