Text 33454, 99 rader
Skriven 2016-05-25 04:20:13 av Lee Lofaso (2:203/2)
  Kommentar till text 33431 av Tony Langdon (2336.fido-fidonews)
Ärende: TTIP
============
Hello Tony,

 LL>> What is the TTIP expected to do?  For both the US and the EU,
 LL>> this trade agreement is expected to be a very good deal.  Here's
 LL>> why -

 TL> Someone's drinking the Kool-Aid. :)

Leaders in the EU and the US already have.
Time for others to jump on board, before it's
all gone.  Because once it's gone, it's gone
forever ...

 TL> From what I understand, it's similar in some respects to the TPP that is
 TL> being negotiated across the Pacific, and among some of the stings in the
 TL> tail are:

"TPP is a horrible deal; no one has read its 5,600 pages."
- Donald Trump, November 2015

 TL> ISDS - Investor - State Dispute Settlement clauses.  These are agreements
 TL> that effectively allow corporations to sue soverign governments.  And I
 TL> have heard this is already happening under other FTAs, with cigarette
 TL> companies suing the Australian Government for plain packaging laws
 TL> introduced a few years ago -
 TL> legislation that was enacted for public health reasons.

Donald Trump has never touched [illegal] drugs, nor alcohol,
tobacco, or coffee.  He lost a brother due to alcoholism, which
explains his aversion to the bottle.  But a man's personal choices
as to how to live his own life should not be the basis as to how
international agreements should be negotiated or made.

As a legal entity, corporations are people.  The business of
government is to protect the people, meaning the corporations
and banks it sponsors.  These corporations and banks are not
national corporations and banks any more.  They are something
more.  Much more.  They have morphed into being multinational
corporations and international banks.  These MNC's do not
have any political or geographical boundaries.  They exist,
with the full protection of their sponsor.

The US invaded Iraq in order to get rid of an evil dictator
(according to GWB).  But who benefitted?  Look who is rebuilding
Iraq.  Not the US.  Not Europe.  Look more to the East.  That's
right.  China.

US President Barack Obama flew to Vietnam, spending three days
in that country.  President Obama made a deal with the Vietnamese.
He declared the US and Vietnam as Allies!  No more arms embargo!
And then President Obama hopped on Airforce One and flew to Japan.
Went and visited Hiroshima.  And refused to apologize to his guests
for having dropped the atomic bomb on their fair city.

 TL> There are also other concerns about the amount of corporate power these
 TL> trade agreements will allow.  I, for one, don't want to see the world
 TL> overrun by corporate greed.

Without greed there can be no progress.  Investors need to have
an incentive in order to invest in a particular company/business.

Government is not a business, and should never be run as or like
a business.  The business of government is to serve the people.
Even if that means operating at a loss (government can always
raise taxes in order to generate new or additional revenue).

TPP and TTIP are international agreements that are negotiated
and signed by governments with the intention of serving the people
those governments represent.

 TL> I view these big trade agreements with a lot of suspicion.

I view politicians who oppose those big trade agreements with
a lot of suspicion.  What is their motivation?  Who benefits?

Raising tariffs is anti-democratic, as doing so means others will
also raise tariffs.  With prices spiralling upwards, how would that
help consumers?  It would lead to an economic depression far worse
than anything this world has ever experienced.

"It's not free trade with China; it's stupid trade."
- Donald Trump, March 2016

"Trade pacts are no good for us and no good for our workers."
- Donald Trump, February 2016

"Restrict free trade to keep jobs in US."
- Donald Trump, October 2015

"We don't beat China or Japan or Mexico in trade."
- Donald Trump, August 2015

"Disastrous deals because we don't have smart negotiators."
- Donald Trump, June 2015

--Lee

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