If passed, the 12-nation trade deal, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, will restrict the power of the U.S. to negotiate trade agreements, and will mark the beginning of the end of national sovereignty.
Done largely in secret, this trade deal sets foreign investment over labor and environment by allowing corporations to have more power than governments in negotiating trade. And nothing can be done (i.e., no appeal) regarding environmental destruction or harm to workers.
Those pressing for fast-track legislation do so not in the interests of democracy. We must let our senators and congresswoman know that we will not accept a fast-tracking, up-or-down vote. This “deal” demands a careful taking apart, with the heart of U.S. sovereignty (The People) being represented, and not the interests of the petroleum and natural gas companies, which have a history of preferring profits over integrity. Our senators and congresswoman must be told to vote “no.”
We don’t want toxic chemicals in our children’s toys; we don’t want petro-chemicals introduced into products, or food, without checks and balances; we don’t want medicines that do more to harm than to save; we don’t want a short-circuiting of the jury/justice system (i.e. dispute settlements) to favor participating companies at the expense of the common good.
