“It’s been branded as a trade agreement, but really it is enforceable corporate global governance.” Lori Wallach, Global Trade Watch

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a secretive trade deal with Asian nations that could reshape the American economy and our foreign relations. Chances are, you’ve never even heard of it. That is because nobody wants you to. It has been in negotiations for two years and is being kept secret from everyone, even Congress, because the participants do not want public opinion to derail it. Senator Ron Wyden is the chairman of the trade committee in the Senate. His office is supposed to have oversight of trade agreements like this. Yet, he has been denied access to TPP documents, and has even had to file legislation demanding he be able to read it!

TPP is not simply about how countries “trade” with one another. In fact, the current document is comprised of almost 30 chapters, and only two of them address trade. The others set binding rules on service-sector regulation, investment, patents and copyrights, government procurement, financial regulation and labor and environmental standards. TPP will:

Send millions of American jobs offshore

Give longer monopoly control of drugs to big pharma firms

Limit food labeling, which could flood the U.S. with unsafe food

Bring back policies of SOPA by stifling internet freedom and killing innovation

Ban “Buy America” policies

Allow foreign corporations to attack our health laws and environmental regulations before an international tribunal, and give them taxpayer compensation

Fax Congress Now!

Participating countries include the U.S. and Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. Japan, China, Mexico and Canada are also interested in joining.

But it doesn’t much matter who is on board now; eventually, every country in the world could take part. Those sounding the alarm about the TPP are warning it could be the last trade agreement ever negotiated because once it’s in place, other countries can simply join in, without any talks, without any restrictions, without debate. That in and of itself would be a reason to make sure it’s a rock solid, well-debated document; unfortunately, it’s not. Wallach says, “It’s only gotten this far because it’s been secret. What’s really important to understand about these agreements, it’s not about trade, and it’s like cement. Once the cement dries in these agreements, you can’t change the rules, unless…all the other countries agree.”

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