Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Job Loss, Lower Wages and Higher Drug Prices Have you heard? The TPP is a massive, controversial free trade agreement currently being pushed by big corporations and negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States and 11 other countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could: offshore millions of American jobs, roll back Wall Street reforms, sneak in SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom, ban Buy American policies needed to create green jobs, jack up the cost of medicines, expose the U.S. to unsafe food and products, and empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards. Although it is called a free trade agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPPs 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules. The TPP would even elevate individual 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. We only know about the TPPs threats thanks to leaks – 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 official corporate trade advisors have special access. The TPP has been under negotiation for six years, and the Obama administration wants to sign the deal this year. Opposition to the TPP is growing at home and in many of the other countries involved. These are LINKED on the website ............. TPP Corporate Empowerment Map: See which foreign corporations near you could use NAFTA-style investor rights to challenge laws and regulations under TPP Factsheet Series: Learn how TPPs investment rules harm Public Access to Essential Services, Public Health and the Environment Flyer: Get all the quick facts on TPP and then spread the word Find out more the blog: Read the latest on TPP on Eyes on Trade citizen.org/TPP
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 17:27:33 +0000
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