The U.S. House of Representatives sits empty until the day after Labor Day. Representatives abandoned DC Thursday for whatever home territory sent them to that historical city in the first place. For many, it’ll be campaign and money-raising season; for others, a chance to hob nob with constituents or renew acquaintances with the local rich and powerful glitterati. The U.S. Senate, on the other hand, is sticking around for another week.
Apparently going nowhere for now in the Nation’s Capital are the three pieces of stinko trade legislation that nobody wants to register a vote for or against before confronting voters. An aye vote for fast tracking any of these repulsive power plays, giveaways and job destroyers would leave a local senator or representative with a “whole lot of “splainin to do” as Ricky used to tell Lucy. House members can’t vote for over a month and even with the extra six days of their own session, senators won’t vote on fast tracking before returning either.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) joke and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) sleazy deal have been well chronicled on this and other sites, but the equally onerous Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) needs a bit of an expanded explanation. Like TPP and TTIP, TiSA is a piece of back-room, highly secretive, rich man’s global statecraft that benefits no average citizen and hands the keys to the kingdom to the power boys and girls.
As usual, WikiLeaks is essentially the only go-to source that tells you what world governments are up to these days. The first hint of TiSA was leaked in February, while the latest exposure came from WikiLeaks, July 2. Here it is and it ain’t purty! Be sure and click on the “Our World is Not for Sale” (OWINFS) link for an in-depth explanation of TiSA.
Working through the back channels of the World Trade Organization (WTO) some 53 countries, including all 28 EU members and the U.S. started meeting at assorted secret venues to put together a power package that assured that corporate sovereignty would override national sovereignty in the world trade arena. Here’s what that means. TiSA would include privatization that would be inked in as irreversible and deregulation would be high on the agenda. Thus fortified, mergers and acquisitions would create giant armies of corporations spread throughout various business sectors.
OWINFS lists the sectors that would include all business entities that control world commerce. We’re talking such power centers as banking, financial, insurance, energy, telecommunications, water, electronics, transportation and any other manufacturing or service industry with power over governments and citizens. Monopolies would prevail. Every controversial decision would favor corporations protected by TiSA, TPP and TTIP. The world’s workforce would be at the mercy of a tiny percentage of incredibly powerful corporations and individuals. That’s where we’re headed with these agreements and others in the pipeline.
It has taken a few years for all the lettered input organizations to hammer out this new economic imperialism. A great irony tracks back to 1967, when French journalist Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber authored a best-seller, “The American Challenge.” It was about the U.S. handing the French their lunch in all things corporate and economic. Now the two countries are backroom allies in the dirty tricks strategy of world corporate domination.
What’s truly galling about these agreements is how antithetical they are to what America professes to be. Even as senators and representatives swill of generous corporate campaign bucks and lucrative post-retirement job promises, they go home and talk of what a great democracy they represent. They brag of such “accomplishments” as cutting taxes (not to mention services), the protecting of our country through military might and following the scriptures to a holy and spiritual life. And it’s all complete horse pucky. Your reps and senators are going to sell your country down the river with their upcoming fast-tracking votes to adopt those horrible snake oil trade pieces of pure legislative garbage. And, trust me; you won’t get a straight answer from any of them, with precious few exceptions, when the embarrassing questions are finally asked.
If you’re like me, you won’t even get to ask the question. Just to track the opposition, I generally try to go to any appearance made locally by one of the Republican candidates for their party’s presidential nomination. Jeb Bush was the latest to show up. The hostess for the gathering surprisingly announced that Bush would answer questions from the audience.
Mine was the second or third hand to go up. I wanted to get Jeb’s take on TPP, TTIP and TiSA. Two questions were asked and answered before mine. The young man holding the microphone acknowledged with a nod that I was next and I came down and stood by him. The hostess recognized me and went to the other side of the room to avoid any question I would ask of Bush. Minutes later, time ran out. That’s how it works in the deep red south.
It’s also instructive that Associated Press, in a by-lined story appearing in their contracted newspapers and websites, left out TPP, TTIP and TiSA in the critical list of legislation facing senators and representatives when they return from hiatus, September 7. No embarrassing trade questions at town halls if readers remain unaware. At least that was the case in my local paper and the numerous sites I visited looking for a fast tracking mention.
As for the trade votes, fast tracking these agreements give your country away and promises of more jobs notwithstanding, these agreements also give away millions of jobs as well. Just like NAFTA.
A call to your Democratic Party legislator telling him or her to stay the course is not a bad idea. As for Republicans; Koch calls, instructing them to vote for fast tracking and what to say to the media are pretty much the only ones that carry any weight.
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