Public Comment
New: House Rejects Trade Bill's "Trade Promotion Authority"
It looks like Democrats took a tactical advantage that may bite them strategically when they turn to actually voting for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). They have "denatured" the Trade Promotion Authority ("fast track") by eliminating compensation to workers when their jobs are off-shored. But off-shoring of American jobs will continue with current trade agreements. The Democrat's so-called "repudiation" of Obama's gift to Big Money on June 12 is the triumph of the ugly pragmatic over the long-term principled.
If TPP passes, the biggest losers would be every nations' laws protecting the environment, worker health and safety, and consumer health and safety. TPP would enable multinational corporations to challenge such laws in private "tribunals" and overturn them as "restraints of trade." The biggest winners under TPP would be those same multinational corporations that could demand compensation for (get this) "expected profits" unreceived because of environmental, health and safety regulations.
A better offense would be to eliminate the TPP's compensation to corporations for reduction of "expected profits" and preserve our environment, health, and safety.
