Sen. Bernie Sanders Seeks Trade Deal Details

Bernie; the voice of reason in the storm of insanity called congress?

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday asked the chief trade representative for the United States to turn over the full text of a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. The 12-nation pact, which could soon come before Congress, has been negotiated in secret but with input from corporations that stand to profit on the deal. In a letter to United States Trade Representative Michael Froman, Sanders called it “troubling” and “unacceptable” that the only sources for Congress to assess what would be the largest global trade deal in history are a few leaked documents.

“It is incomprehensible to me that the leaders of major corporate interests who stand to gain enormous financial benefits from this agreement are actively involved in the writing of the TPP while, at the same time, the elected officials of this country, representing the American people, have little or no knowledge as to what is in it,” Sanders said in the letter. “In my view, this is simply unacceptable.”

source

a reply to: AlaskanDad

Our country is being sold out from underneath us.
It is no longer about the best interests of the country but the best interests of the few wealthy plutocrats and the whole globe is their playground.

Why bother having a military to protect our nation when it instead it is being used to protect global interests for these plutocrats?

Another source made a few interesting points:

Trade hasn't occupied the national spotlight since the Clinton years -- a phenomenon that elevates its potency in a Democratic primary likely to include Hillary Clinton, who was involved in TPP talks while secretary of state under Obama. And President Bill Clinton's economic legacy is at the heart of the only major intra-party rift currently dividing Democrats: What to do about Wall Street. The Clinton presidency signaled the Democratic Party's full embrace of the financial elite, reversing the tough-on-banks platform implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt under the New Deal. To Clinton's liberal critics, he had converted to GOP orthodoxy on economic matters.

Clinton's bank deregulation hasn't been popular in the years following the 2008 financial meltdown. But many congressional Democrats have been willing to follow the Clinton model of making nice with Wall Street to get the campaign cash needed to advance other liberal goals. The tension spilled into public view last month during a bitter feud over subsidies for risky Wall Street derivatives trades that clearly surprised the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate.

Casting the Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization treaties, and Obama's TPP, as similar gifts to corporate insiders would be politically potent in a Democratic primary. Warren has said repeatedly that she isn't running for president, but her own attacks on TPP have taken precisely this approach. In December, Warren sent a letter of her own to Froman, asking him to prevent foreign corporations from using TPP to challenge domestic laws and regulations before an international tribunal. Granting companies this political power, she said, posed significant risks for financial regulation.

source

Will Sanders oppose Hillary? Will he stay an independent candidate? A couple of thoughts for one to ponder upon.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

Will Sanders oppose Hillary?

One can only hope. Neither the Democrats or Republicans have anyone worth voting for that is in the running. I would vote for a Bernie Sanders/ Alan Grayson ticket if Grayson would leave the Democrat party.

I think Sanders is all in favor of the TPP.

That's why he constantly criticizes it's alleged "secrecy".

He is always so coy with his innocence and all.

Those "secrets" will be published during Congressional debate right?

a reply to: AlaskanDad

I always wonder how 'Lizabeth knows all about the TPP.

I thought it was a secret.

Puzzling.

Gonna be another "we have to pass the bill to see what is in it" and another screw you to the people in these countries.

originally posted by: xuenchen
I think Sanders is all in favor of the TPP.

That's why he constantly criticizes it's alleged "secrecy".

He is always so coy with his innocence and all.

Those "secrets" will be published during Congressional debate right?

Several other congress people have spoken out about not being able to get all the details of this deal. It will more than likely go through like the Patriot Act they will place it in front of them and say vote for it we don't have time for you to read it.

The EFF and other groups are also fighting against the TPP:

EFF joins 47 other civil society groups and experts from around the world to call on trade ministers of countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to publish the current draft of the agreement, as well as all nations' negotiating positions. The TPP has been negotiated in secret for the last five years. But we know from several leaks of its Intellectual Property chapter that it contains various provisions that pose wide-ranging threats to users' rights to free speech and privacy online.

source

for reference only.

from the official site.

Trans Pacific Partnership

So let's pick it apart and expose the problems.

originally posted by: xuenchen
for reference only.

from the official site.

Trans Pacific Partnership

So let's pick it apart and expose the problems.

So where on your linked page are the details of the TPP?

Trans-Pacific Partnership

Overview of TPP

Outlines of TPP

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Summary of U.S. Objectives

Direct Stakeholder Engagement

Remember the devil is in the details, not not the overview nor the outlines!

a reply to: AlaskanDad

there's hundreds of pages to look at.

1/2 way down the page.....

Press Releases

Federal Register Notices

Reports

Speeches

Fact Sheets

then click on the names, then see many details.

apparently not leaked either.

a reply to: xuenchen

Thats all really quite interesting but;where is:

full text of a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement?

Lots of info about something is not the same as seeing it, ie stories about ufo's are not the same as having one in the Smithsonian for all to see is it?

Nice try though!

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
a reply to: xuenchen

Thats all really quite interesting but;where is:

full text of a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement?

Lots of info about something is not the same as seeing it, ie stories about ufo's are not the same as having one in the Smithsonian for all to see is it?

Nice try though!

Could it be possible that a "Full Text" does not exist yet?

I think they are still talking maybe.

Here's what to do:

1. identify the controversial parts from what is known.

2. send emails to Congressmen and Senators with objections.

3. specifically send known language from the known sources to Sanders and Warren who don't seem to think anything is available.

I have done some of the above.

You can start anytime.

Start your list of specific objections here:

There's plenty of problems to find.

My specific objection is they have not made a full text of a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement available to the people, nor do they propose to.

Simple enough?

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
My specific objection is they have not made a full text of a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement available to the people, nor do they propose to.

Simple enough?

That's because it doesn't exist yet.

But we really should pick out the objections from the known material.

There's plenty of danger in this TPP.

What are some of your specific objections?

I bet we might agree on many.

Use the links.

Think for yourself.

Don't depend on phony politicians.

This is rich.

For a guy in a group of people infamous for passing stuff without bothering to read them first.

Now suddenly 'wants to know whats in it' !!!

You can't make this snip up.

originally posted by: neo96
This is rich.

For a guy in a group of people infamous for passing stuff without bothering to read them first.

Now suddenly 'wants to know whats in it' !!!

You can't make this snip up.

Brazen Irony isn't it.

Sanders voted "yes" for Obama.Care and never read the thing !!!!

originally posted by: xuenchen

Brazen Irony isn't it.

Sanders voted "yes" for Obama.Care and never read the thing !!!!

He's the only guy who is at least trying to do what's right in regards to this horrible TPP deal and yet you're still gonna talk smack about him huh???

Meanwhile Obama and the Republicans are skipping hand in hand together down the road to pass this and you've nothing to say about it. Let's talk Brazen Irony shall we.

a reply to: mOjOm

Like I suggested to AlaskanDad, let's go through what we know about.

What's your biggest objection?

There's dozens, but what is the most dangerous iyo.