Obama Trade Document Leaked, Reveals More Broken Campaign Promises

Examiner.com ^ | June 13, 2012 | Mike Delrio

[Iron Munro]

A document posted online early Wednesday morning reveals the Obama administration intends to give new political powers to multinational corporations, contradicting prior campaign promises. The leaked document was posted on the website of Public Citizen, a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy group that has been critical of the administration’s trade objectives.

The most recent leak follows growing controversy surrounding the secrecy of the Trans-Pacific trade talks. Members of Congress, including key Democrats, have complained the secrecy of the trade discussions is insulting.

In addition to growing outrage in Congress, public health experts, labour unions and internet freedom advocates have voiced concern over the secretive negotiation process and the actual terms of the trade pact, which they believe will threaten to drive up global medicine prices, impact jobs and hamper online innovation. The Obama administration’s continued refusal to share Trans-Pacific trade negotiation documents with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the chair of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, has led to concern that Obama is selectively freezing out critics of the deal from involvement in the talks.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has spent months pushing the Obama administration for more openness on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Virtually every non-profit group monitoring the Trans-Pacific deal is concerned about the intense level of secrecy surrounding it. The governments of every nation involved in the talks can see the draft proposals offered by the Obama administration, as can American corporate officials serving on government advisory boards. But the proposals are shielded from the general public, with many nonprofits only made aware of the potential impact on jobs, health or technology through leaked texts.

The newly leaked document is one of the most controversial of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. It addresses a broad sweep of regulations governing international investment

[Iron Munro]

The dam is ready to burst.

Worth reading the full article.

The agreement gives special treatment for foreign corporations operating within the U.S.

The administration would agree to grant an international tribunal power to overrule American law.

Here is a link to the original document under discussion:

http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/tppinvestment.pdf

[Carry_Okie]

The agreement gives special treatment for foreign corporations operating within the U.S.

Guess who Zero needs to buy the bonds so that he can keep his indentured constituency in tow? The Party of the .001% strikes again.

[gov_bean_ counter]

... yet none dare call it treason.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Related:

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/06/13/balance-both-left-and-right-angry-with-obama-on-trade/

[kosciusko51]

Wait, wouldn’t a trade agreement be consider a treaty, and if so, would require the Senate’s approval?

[cableguymn]

That is why they don’t call it a treaty..

I can see the talking heads on MSNBC/MPR/ABC/CBS/NBC..

“No, the senate does not need to past this. That is for treaties not “agreements””

[Menehune56]

The Secret Government is being exposed. The end may be near for Obama, he may not make it to November.

[Drill Thrawl]

Wait, wouldn’t a trade agreement be consider a treaty, and if so, would require the Senate’s approval?

Oh don't start with that "Constitution" crap again.

Learn your place serf. Do no question your betters.

[NewHampshireDuo]

From the article:

Two United Nations groups recently urged global governments not to agree to trade terms currently being advocated by the Obama administration, on the grounds that such rules would hurt public health.

Trans-Pacific negotiations have been taking place throughout the Obama presidency. The deal is strongly supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the top lobbying group for American corporations. Obama's Republican opponent in the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney, has urged the U.S. to finalize the deal as soon as possible.

So Obama, the US CoC and Romney are in agreement on this deal but the UN is against? My head is spinning.

[denydenydeny]

Libs going apes**t over this. 25,000+ comments on the original HufflePuff article, many screaming at Obama.

[Whenifhow]

This article:

Controversial Trade Pact Text Leaked, Shows U.S. Trade Officials Have Agreed to Terms That Undermine Obama Domestic Agenda

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=3630

excerpt:

Although the TPP has been branded a “trade” agreement, the leaked text of the pact’s Investment Chapter shows that the TPP would:

Limit how U.S. federal and state officials could regulate foreign firms operating within U.S. boundaries, with requirements to provide them greater rights than domestic firms;
Extend the incentives for U.S. firms to offshore investment and jobs to lower-wage countries;
Establish a two-track legal system that gives foreign firms new rights to skirt U.S. courts and laws, directly sue the U.S. government before foreign tribunals and demand compensation for financial, health, environmental, land use and other laws they claim undermine their TPP privileges; and
Allow foreign firms to demand compensation for the costs of complying with U.S. financial or environmental regulations that apply equally to domestic and foreign firms.

snip
The leak also reveals that:

Australia has refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the “investor-state” private corporate enforcement foreign tribunal system;
U.S. negotiators are alone in seeking to expand this extra-judicial enforcement system to allow the use of foreign tribunals to enforce contracts that foreign investors may have with a government for government procurement or to operate utilities contracts and even related to concessions for natural resources on federal lands;
Other countries are proposing safeguards for financial regulation and limits to the corporate tribunals that the U.S. has not supported.

Public Citizen’s analysis of the leaked text and guided tour through its provisions can be found here.

http://www.citizen.org/documents/Leaked-TPP-Investment-Analysis.pdf

[Whenifhow]

after they’ve confined us all to cities, they plan to harvest our natural resources for their personal gain- Agenda 21

• U.S. negotiators are alone in seeking to expand this extra-judicial enforcement system to allow the use of foreign tribunals to enforce contracts that foreign investors may have with a government for government procurement or to operate utilities contracts and even related to concessions for natural resources on federal lands;

[Baynative]

"after they’ve confined us all to cities, they plan to harvest our natural resources for their personal gain- Agenda 21"

This is more than a priority for Barack Obama, it is a passion.

[Baynative]

I’ keep waiting for the part where the heroes come in and round up Obama and his commie cadre and take them away. This movie isn’t ending well.

[TEXOKIE]

If you want to be on or off the Agenda 21 ping list, please notify me by Freepmail. It is a relatively low volume list in which we have been exploring the UN Agenda21 and related topics. We have collected our studies with threads, links, and discussions on the Agenda 21 thread which can be found here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2738418/posts

NEW ACTION THREAD:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2861644/posts