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Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal Is Reached
An anonymous reader writes: The NY Times reports that negotiators have finally reached agreement over the Trans-Pacific Partnership from the U.S. and 11 other nations. The TPP has been in development for eight years, and has the potential to dramatically strengthen U.S. economic ties to east Asia. Though the negotiations have been done in secret, the full text of the agreement should be published within a month. Congress (and the legislative houses of the other participating countries) will have 90 days to review it and decide whether to ratify it. The TPP has been criticized in tech circles for how it regards intellectual property and facilitates website blocking, among other issues.
Proponents will also have to answer broader questions about whether it stifles competition, how it treats individuals versus large corporations, as if it creates environmental problems. To give you an idea of how complex it is: "The Office of the United States Trade Representative said the partnership eventually would end more than 18,000 tariffs that the participating countries have placed on United States exports, including autos, machinery, information technology and consumer goods, chemicals and agricultural products ranging from avocados in California to wheat, pork and beef from the Plains states."
Proponents will also have to answer broader questions about whether it stifles competition, how it treats individuals versus large corporations, as if it creates environmental problems. To give you an idea of how complex it is: "The Office of the United States Trade Representative said the partnership eventually would end more than 18,000 tariffs that the participating countries have placed on United States exports, including autos, machinery, information technology and consumer goods, chemicals and agricultural products ranging from avocados in California to wheat, pork and beef from the Plains states."
There's an election going on here. Whether or not Canada signs is depends greatly upon which party wins. Right now, it's pretty much a (nationwide) three-way tie. But that doesn't mean an even sharing of the seats in parliament, as the NDP are expected to "waste" a lot of votes in Quebec, so it's actually a much closer race between the Liberals and incumbent Conservatives.
"Evil will always triumph over good, because good is dumb." - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)
any one for reclaiming their government from the corporations and plutocrats that have corrupted it to their purposes?
or are we all just going to sit around whining about government, full stop, no further thought on the topic
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
and, might I add, vote the damn thing down without amendments. otherwise, all job types will meet an H1B type competition.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Of course those morons passed fast track for this TREATY, which it is.
So no matter what nasty surprises are found in it, if anyone actually gets to see it, changing them will next to impossible.
Someone should sue and charge that this is, in fact, a Treaty and subject to the provisions of the Constitution regarding treaties.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Proponents will also have to answer
You can give China MFN status one day in the name of "human rights" theater and then lecture Americans about the importance of environmental protection the next, and no one anywhere blinks an eye. Exactly when are proponents going to have to answer to anyone, about anything? Elites have been trading US prosperity for various and sundry bad overseas agendas since forever and none of them have ever paid the least price.
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
It gives the players involved time to setup any sort of spin, distraction, press release, leak, or other propaganda to snub the expected protests.
If you pay attention you can see it in action. Shortly before the Iran deal was announced there were a bunch of stories about amazing bunker buster bombs, which were nothing new, but magically were on the second pages of assorted news sites. Once the deal was announced it was clear to me that it was all nicely orchestrated to either pressure Iran into accepting or else, or to snub those that would argue we would be toothless on the enforcement side (likely both).
So watch the news cycle carefully for the next 30 days. Friendly "journalists" will be getting special access and you can expect a lot of stories based on that access that will paint things in a positive light. You will see a lot of selling and spinning in the affected countries. By time the full text comes out and the analysis comes out it will be fighting an uphill battle to re-ignite outrage that has already been tamped down.
Has anyone here ever met anyone who is in favor of the Trans Pacific Partnership?
I mean, I've met people who don't know what it is, but I have yet to meet someone who's all, "Yes! We need this Trans Pacific Partnership to make my life better."
You are welcome on my lawn.
Since Canada, USA and Mexico are all involved in this deal, this will replace NAFTA. To get a better idea of how this will affect you, just look at what NAFTA did.