Allies Line Up Against Obama’s State of the Union Plea on Trade


Bloomberg News has the article Allies Line Up Against Obama’s State of the Union Plea on Trade.

The difficult battle ahead to win the so-called fast-track authority he is asking for was illustrated by opponents — including Democrats and labor leaders — who began issuing statements before Obama had even finished speaking.
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The Asia trade agreement is a sweeping deal covering not only tariffs but other policies affecting trade such as intellectual property protection and data flows. It could eventually benefit companies as diverse as International Business Machines Corp., Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), Boeing Co. (BA) and Pfizer Inc. (PFE)

Labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, and other groups have attacked the legislation on a variety of fronts. They have argued the deals reflect a corporate agenda rather than one supported by the public, that they are negotiated in too much secrecy, and that they underpin a global economy that has dragged down wages in the U.S.

At least Bloomberg acknowledges that there are issues with the “trade” pact.  However, we can’t expect much more from a big corporate business news source that helped make Michael Bloomberg into a billionaire.

It is a pretty good example of how to lie with balanced reporting.  The term intellectual property protection is a seemingly laudable goal.  In reality it is euphemism for giving US corporate oligarchs an unfair advantage that other countries refuse to give them.

Not reported in this story is the power that the TPP gives to corporations to overturn environmental, labor, health, and safety laws and regulations in any signatory country.  That’s the definition of a corporate agenda that would not be supported by the public if the public knew about it.

I guess that Bloomberg doesn’t see any point  in bothering you with the details.

Here is a simple BS detector that you can apply to this issue.  If this treaty is so great, then why won’t the Obama administration let progressive Democrats see what is in the secret treaty, but he readily allows corporate titans to not only see the treaty, but to write the treaty itself? If Obama has nothing to hide, then why is he trying so hard to hide it?  Doesn’t it make you even a little suspicious  that all you have to go on is his word that it is great, but he doesn’t want you to see it?

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