citizenstrade

It's a corporate power grab disguised as a trade deal. It makes it easier for big corporations to ship jobs overseas and drive down wages, and it gives then new tools to undermine democratic policymaking on the environment, consumer safety, access to medicines and more.

B/c the question was to describe it to a 5 year old. My response was probably more for a 12 year old, but anyhow...

The TPP’s investor-state dispute resolution (ISDS) provisions enable transnational corporations to challenge environmental laws, regulations and court decisions in international tribunals that circumvent the U.S. judicial system and any other country’s domestic judicial system. Under the World Trade Organization (WTO), portions of the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act have already been rolled back under similar “trade” provisions that grant this type of power to foreign governments. The TPP would go beyond the WTO by giving individual corporations the power to initiate challenges.Right now, a number of smaller Free Trade Agreements and Bilateral Investment Treaties already grant these powers to transnational corporations — and they are being used to attack clean air rules in Peru, mining laws in El Salvador, a provincial fracking moratorium in Canada and a court decision against the oil giant Chevron in Ecuador, among many other examples. Expanding this system throughout the Pacific Rim would only increase the commonplace of these challenges.

Beyond that, under the TPP exports of fracked natural gas would automatically be deemed in the public interest, bypassing certain environmental and economic reviews, if going to any of eleven TPP countries throughout the Pacific Rim — including Japan, the world’s largest importer of natural gas. The TPP is likely to increase energy costs for U.S. consumers and manufacturers, while simultaneously exposing Americans to the localized environmental consequences of fracking and the world to increased global warming pollution.

If that weren't enough, the TPP rolls back environmental enforcement provisions found in all U.S. trade agreements since the George W. Bush administration, requiring enforcement of only one out of the seven environmental treaties covered by Bush-era trade agreements.

You can find lots more at tradewatch.org if you want to get into the weeds.

First, consider that it sets binding rules governing approx 40% of the global economy, but was negotiated in secret with the help of hundreds of corporate advisors, while the public and press were barred from even knowing what was being proposed in our names.

Now that the text is out, we can see why: it will help corporations offshore jobs and drive down wages; jack up medicine prices; undercut environmental and consumer safety laws; block commonsense financial reforms; and more.

Put pressure on your U.S. Representative. From now thru Labor Day they're on summer recess, spending most of the time back home, in district. Try to meet w/ them if you can. If that's not possible, look at their website and social media for public town halls, Labor Day picnics, other events were you can confront them face-to-face and urge them to oppose the TPP. You can also call, email, all of that. People think it doesn't make a difference, but if enough people pile on, it really does.

Our coalition of labor, environmental, family farm, consumer and faith organizations is against the TPP because we want a just and sustainable global economy. The TPP works against that, elevating the profits of big corporations ahead of the needs of working people and the environment.