Trans-Pacific Partnership

TPP is the black hole of trade agreements. Everyone knows it is out there, but no one seems to know what is in it or how many of our high paying manufacturing jobs we will lose to it! Furthermore, there is an effort to keep us from finding those things out by bypassing the normal procedures for gaining the consent of the Senate for this trade agreement. Bypassing the normal procedures is called fast tracking, and it forestalls any disclosure of the terms of the agreement and any public debate about the agreement. The fact that neither the Republicans nor the Big Corporations are raising a fuss about this fast tracking tells me the oligopoly is looking forward to some very cheap foreign labor. If that sounds paranoid to you consider the fact that NAFTA and the other trade agreements we have entered into have cost us far more in the way of good paying jobs than we have gained as a result of the much touted increase in trade.

If you are not skeptical about the benefits of TPP ask yourself a very simple question: what would you think if the kid who burned down your shed was reaching for the matches again and would not tell you what he intended to do with them? Frankly, I am damn sick of getting burned by Milton Freedman's free trade economics.  We, the people, have a right to know what the hell is in that agreement and what it is likely to cost us! If the President and the Republicans insist on fast tracking the TPP agreement the Democrats should filibuster it, and we should let any Democrat who would vote for cloture know it will cost him or her in the next election. Please e-mail your Senator today.