I'm joined today by Lori Wallach who is director of public citizen's global
trade watch
and it's really a pleasure to have her here Lori we've been talking about TPP
the trans-pacific partnership for a while now
and there have been two areas have interest for me in for a lot of our
audience once
one is what does TPP do or what would it do
and then simultaneously this secrecy with which it has been negotiated and
the speed with which some legislators have wanted to kind of get it
through and enact TPP to look take it piece by piece
what is TPP what are the goals what areas
love life does it address did he has been branded as
trade agreement and that's really a Trojan worst nuclear
its no dropped twenty nine chapters in only five of them have anything to do
with trade
really quite good delivery mechanism nice ass
rector grade corporates policy items many in which Indians
what we've been reading jack-booted by the US Congress my legislature is
any other country they're involved people with me
the way TPP would work is that binding
Beijing is each country shall ensure conformity
evolve domestic lon regulation
and administrative procedure is that the attached chapters
and then each app with its not rules I'm
things and divers down the safety of the food we feed our children
will be required in poor who that doesn't meet our safety standards
whether or not were allowed to regulate the banks jury
you could roll back some of the reforms after the global financial crisis for
instance
right now the US is insisting that every signature recently for been
from using capital controls Butler and
financial speculation passes in humans that have proved to be very
used only worrying terms that's not it right
or their rules that would limit
Internet freedom that basically sneak through the back door so many elements
have soap and
it bad that legislation that Congress rejected you know
our or their rules remain both
patents and your comments you for me where
is the list medicine that want
programs like the baar medicare medicaid
tried here yet listed medicines that they will reimburse that certain rate
paid pharmaceutical companies was a constant menace and their rules never
been for 10 boat takes 10 patents
and allowed only counts as pricing decisions that could jacket medicine
prices
an impact all working now is outrageous new corporate rights and privileges
in addition to the constraints in regulation and the worst when it does
the in best or state system
which would Albay any individual porn company
operating in any of the other 11 other TPP countries
have the same status the US government huge challenge
domestic laws outside a court privately important public treaty
again %um I suing the US government in
actually judicial tribunals were three
trade attorneys that I hope the business year old who wrote kate
between Syrian government in being the jobs get it is sunny
how much steamy corporations should be reimbursed
the cost money file basic health safety environmental and use
regulations so what was the imperious or who you know
who got together and when and said let's work together on this thing called TPP
right what circumstances kinda even created this is this idea
so they are 600 official US
work which traded by zorz this is that the crapper
problem these guys are some things so called US trade policy is a quirk trade
policy in mixed in there are about
in in with the six-member about 30 communion environmental consumer goods
it totally overwhelm
anything but I czars get very frustrated because they basically want to taste
and now the North American Free Trade Agreement
it's been so devastating the US jobs in
devastating max nah culture it's been a disaster
corporate tax and environmental laws they want to expand its more country
may want to expand the rules make me more extreme and they tried to do that
many things to the hemisphere's
think I'll free-trader the Americas in a lot country said no thank you
with the Argentina Jamaica so this was their nasty Tampa
trying to expand and deepen and lot importantly the model
leading budget permitted by T question it heartbreakingly the Obama
administration
it's something we're startin' 2008 the Obama administration pick it up
they allegedly had with me which was not real and they just picked up the exact
yeah
and the State Department has a handy because they're trying to sell is an
anti-china mechanism
which equals ludicrous because at the trade negotiation US
read your mind let me make them happy even if China join
he peace must be docking which means any additional country
can join later it's fascinating to me because
as as we talk about all the ways in which the Obama administration is very
different than the Bush administration
we can't ignore all the ways in which both the largest heavily ingrained in
this plutocratic
money-driven system that may not even really be
the result there are actually I would go further has nothing to do specifically
with George W Bush with President Obama but it shows as the limited power in
some areas that one person can have
and when I look at the individual chapters love this
TPP the proposed agreement the trend a see through all them is either
via more regulation or some cases less regulation it doesn't matter what it is
it's a decision it's a direction that favors big business and transnational
business are there any
out liars that art falling under that umbrella or is every single chapter
either by adding regulation or taking it away
supporting the interest to big business well certainly the big business agenda
chapter by chapter but I wouldn't say they're adding regulation on
corporations
no no certainly not what I was thinking clear government what I was thinking
about to be clear is
with intellectual property the chapter on intellectual property
ads maybe regulations not the right word but it ads legal
infrastructure that certainly helps the big copyright holders
government right it CPU regulates government and limit their ability
you be able to implemented a live me
for our him even galls and give New Brighton powers
to big companies interestingly a lot of the small business groups and
conservative groups i dnt pp
because there again thinking only thing the day you know the US business and
industry
Council make your small business association is against the BBQ baby
alive
their member companies are not going to benefit from this is the big guys are
what is what is there to be done in terms of slowing down the process which
so many people seem to have an interest in expediting as much as possible what
can the average person do
what public citizen doing so here's the good news:
it he he's a little bit like dracula need ragged
out the darkness in the sunshine negotiating process been
credibly close secrecy their congress hasn't been allowed to see the draft tax
it's the last year
you know it's been going on for almost five years so first thing
is get on cue a great website the joint
settle on a group it's called exposed that he he he
that word WWE expose the TPP targets great
a thick materials and every way eighty people affect their lives
which is everything in the material startin something you really care about
food safety GM owes the environment climate jobs wages
inequality in goes the other way towards how'd he affect you care about
expose the DPP out or get involved get away or
how other people wake up way to some degree in the path to leave knows that
release agreement
literally have been dracula radhe yeah when they drive out to the sunshine with
Dracula
all you not Iraq but you not think that's the only and not
in the mainstream media had blacked out the TPP
parents yet working out hurt you
use the power we have in congress so the congress
has exclusive constitutional authority over trade
it's one strong Jackson Bowden constitutional
any the following the Boston Tea Party they didn't want any
he knew president not King George you know actually impose a terrorist he
taxes Medicare
so here are the founders it all 30 over trade congress
in the last twenty years I wouldn't lar we held onto that
sorry back for five years for five years during the bush administration gave with
how
fast-track authority isn't in almost fifty you know
richard nixon Cup captain who rarely been used in history
country never even thought into 1973
and this fast-track procedure basically takes away congress' normal ability to
man review debates a trade agreement
it basically from me day and negotiations start executive branch
give the way comes powers in houses worst about yes 90 in 90 days near mint
limited debates
including some is an American heraldry
minutes I was downstairs through them faster coming up that right now
that the wheelchair nation so the great news is
right now in the House of Representatives which is why this
fast-track
what is happening President Obama bad news is present about national flashback
very well with him right now they are asking for this legislatively from
procedure
come so far in the house said no democrats no problem the way
to some degree they think that both the right and the left you might like who
likes action you should probably know the packing my flaws in reading US
Treasury
like abandoned by American neither Democrats nor Republicans
so right now the most important thing besides being weird I'm TPP
contact your house member remember house representatives
whether the democrat or republican and ask for
commitments in writing in a letter that he or she will oppose
fast-track trade or 18 all its forms
and retain your constitutional 30 betray you can get a copy it back honey why
don't you wanna right person talking points our website
trade what not or there yet we don't read last night or
and what we're doing is making sure the TPP be happy
how you may be exposed to some time is given one in it
its normal review not me
all right we've been speaking with Lori Wallach director of public citizen's
global trade watch thanks very much
for being with us today thank you this is viewer supported independent media
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