More
about the TPPA – this time from the US
TPP
secrets: Obama covertly granting more power to multinational
corporations
Despite
the White House’s efforts to keep a proposed free trade agreement
concealed from the public — and even Congress — an excerpt from
the TPP leaked Wednesday reveals that President Obama is prepared to
bow to multinational corporations
RT,
13
April, 2012
.
The
United States has been engaged in discussion with eight Pacific
nations to come to agreement on the terms of the proposed
Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade contract that would allow for
a more open system of exchange between the US and less developed
nations. Critics have been concerned, however, over how provisions of
the project could drive up the price of medications and other goods
across the world. The White House’s reluctance to provide details
to even leading lawmakers responsible for America’s trade plans has
caused a rift within the president’s own political party as his
administration remains adamant about protecting the items being
heard.
A
section of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership was leaked to
the Web early Wednesday, and its contents suggest that US President
Barack Obama was perhaps not so genuine with promises made while
campaigning in 2008 and even offers some insight into why his
administration has been eerily secretive about the TPP.
Details
about negotiations determined during meetings between White House
officials and leaders from the eight Pacific nations involved in the
TPP have been so hidden from the public that even some members of the
US Congress have called on the president to come forth with
information. In a leak published this week by the advocacy website
Public Citizen, though, it’s made clear that the Obama
administration has every intention of backpedaling on previous
promises that could largely impact regulations that will directly
affect the safety and financial security of millions of Americans and
international citizens.
According
to the leaked excerpt, the Obama administration has been considering
TPP provisions that would allow foreign corporations operating within
the United States to appeal regulations on the environment and
banking that would be forced on American-owned businesses with no
chance of reprieve. While the United States could be sanctioned for
failing to impose regulations on American-run businesses,
multinational corporations are practically encouraged to do as much
because the TPP outlines a clear avenue to file an appeal. If one of
the eight Pacific nations chooses to do as much, their plea would be
heard by an international tribunal that could overrule US law.
Such
key components of the leaked TPP document conflict directly with
campaign promises harped by then-candidate President Obama while
vying for the White House. Huffington Post reports that during the
2008 campaign, Barack Obama was clear in emphasizing,
"We will not negotiate bilateral trade agreements that stop the
government from protecting the environment, food safety or the health
of its citizens; give greater rights to foreign investors than to US
investors; require the privatization of our vital public services; or
prevent developing country governments from adopting humanitarian
licensing policies to improve access to life-saving medications.”
On
the contrary, President Obama is reportedly not so concerned today.
Condemning the president over how the TPP could alter intellectual
property standards are many critics who fear that the agreement would
lead to the monopolization of life-saving drugs and thus propel the
prices to an unaffordable amount.
"Bush
was better than Obama on this," Judit
Rius of Doctors Without Borders Access to Medicines Campaign tells
HuffPo.
"It's pathetic, but it is what it is. The world's upside-down."
Last
month, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon)
introduced legislation that specifically targets the Obama
administration by demanding that the White House open up on details
about the proposed TPP. Despite serving as chair of the United States
Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and
Global Competitiveness, Sen. Wyden has been largely left uninformed
about the details of the TPP all while the White House has opened up
to the multinational corporations expected to profit through the
proposal.
“The
majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of
the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations –
like Halliburton, Chevron, PHRMA, Comcast, and the Motion Picture
Association of America – are being consulted and made privy to
details of the agreement,” said
Wyden. The senator’s legislation would require the United States
Trade Representative office
“to provide documents related to trade negotiations to members of
Congress and their staff upon request.”
The leaked document is available HERE
From Aotearoa; a Wider Perspective
Obama
Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers And Broken
Campaign Promises.
WASHINGTON
-- A critical document from President Barack Obama's free trade
negotiations with eight Pacific nations was leaked online early
Wednesday morning, revealing that the administration intends to
bestow radical new political powers upon multinational corporations,
contradicting prior promises.
The
leaked
document
has been posted on the website of Public Citizen, a long-time critic
of the administration's trade objectives. The new leak follows
substantial controversy surrounding the secrecy of the talks, in
which some members
of Congress
have complained they are not being given the same access to trade
documents that corporate officials receive.
"The
outrageous stuff in this leaked text may well be why U.S. trade
officials have been so extremely secretive about these past two years
of [trade] negotiations," said Lori Wallach, director of Public
Citizen's Global Trade Watch in a written statement.
Sen.
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has been so incensed by the lack of access as to
introduce
legislation
requiring further disclosure. House Oversight Committee Chairman
Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has gone so far as to leak
a separate document from the talks
on his website. Other Senators are considering writing a letter to
Ron Kirk, the top trade negotiator under Obama, demanding more
disclosure.
Comments from CollapseNet:
So
here it is, leaked (of course) confirmation of exactly whose
interests Bloody Barack is working to achieve - and they ain't yours
or mine. Obama has revealed himself as the ultimate corporate
Manchurian Candidate, the wolf in sheep's clothing here to finish the
destruction of the American middle class while suckering those same
people to vote for him and against their own interests. Again. He has
revealed himself as a pillager of the U.S. citizenry and U.S. law,
another one-world government builder for the corporations
The
fraudster in the White House is approaching treason with this, IMHO.
He took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States and faithfully execute our laws, NOT defend mega-corporations'
interests against the will of the people and by-pass our federal,
state and local laws with the facade of an international treaty. I
voted for this guy, now I would be cheering his impeachment for this,
as well as his other international crimes and acts of murder against
innocents.
Barack
the Insidious. Fool me once, shame on you. I don't give second
chances to get screwed over, so I wouldn't vote for that deceitful
arrogant liar if he were running against the Devil himself (at least
the Devil is has been known to keep his word on occasion).
Maybe
the abbreviation "POTUS" should be shortened a bit more to
just read "POS". – Wesley Miller
IMHO,
the fleecing of America/The World will only accelerate. The TPTB are
formulating laws and institutions to acquire assets while they are
still worth acquiring. In economics terms, TPTB are shorting the
Earth and it is an easy bet... there is no way they can lose. We are
only 50 years (give or take) away from total ecological collapse and
in even less time we will be out of our infinite growth inducing
steroid: oil. We are in the end game of a 500+ year long game of
chess... (1492 - present) and the major players on the board are
jockeying their positions for the final push. Once the jig is up and
economies start collapsing in true form... we go to war. And don't
be naive to think we built thousands of nukes (as a species) and
don't intend to use them while they are still good and while there is
something left to fight for.I too would be building nukes if I were
Iranian.
They
are sitting on one of the last big piles of oil left and bullies (US,
Germany, Israel, etc...) only understand strength and the ability to
fight back. Only the strong, those who see the big picture, and the
lucky will prevail. This can be said about countries as a whole,
and as people individually. Everyday I work to be strong and see the
big picture. I can only hope to be lucky but I definitely would take
it. -
CollapseNet Staff Comment
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