Posted on 06/14/2015 9:58:19 AM PDT by VitacoreVision
Establishment Republicans, working closely with the White House, have been pushing a triad of trade agreements that, if enacted into law, are supposed to create jobs. Yet even proponents of the agreements acknowledge they will also cost many Americans their jobs. The content of the agreements — the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Trade in Service Agreement (TISA), and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) — has been kept hidden from the American people.
In fact, even members of Congress have been able to view only the TPP thus far — if they go to a secret room to view it and agree not to divulge the content. Concurrent with the secrecy involved is a level of dishonesty and subterfuge that is beyond even that which Americans have come to expect from their government.
It has been said that in America we have the stupid party and the evil party. Sometimes they get together and do something both stupid and evil. This, we call bipartisanship. The bipartisan support for the trade agreements collectively referred to ObamaTrade could be viewed as a fitting examples of that adage. That's assuming of course that trying to enact sovereignty-destroying agreements by keeping them hidden from the American people may properly be classified as "evil." And "selling" these agreements to the public by claiming they will create jobs, while also claiming that government assistance must be provided to offset all of the jobs these agreements will cost, may be classified as "stupid."
In a glaring example of Orwellian double-think, ObamaTrade advocates are simultaneously pushing for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA, aka "Fast Track") to get the supposedly jobs-creating trade agreements through Congress, and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for U.S. workers who lose their jobs because of the agreements. So which is it? Is ObamaTrade going to lose jobs or create jobs? The answer, according to House Ways and Means Committee chairman Paul Ryan and others who support ObamaTrade, is yes — both.
Apparently they believe (or expect voters to believe) that jobs must be lost in order for jobs to be created. Moreover, without government intervention in the marketplace jobs will be lost and created as a result of innovation and consumer preferences. (How many workers make typewriters these days compared to computers?) But does it make sense for the U.S. government to sign treaties that will destroy jobs and then increase government spending to help the displaced workers? How can such an approach end any way but badly?
Remember NAFTA, which was going to create prosperity and jobs for Americans according to its propoents, but which resulted instead in the exportation of jobs? Is it stupidity — or evil, or both — to ignore this lesson from the past while pursuing ObamaTrade?
On May 22, the Senate passed the Trade Promotion Authority bill, which also included the Trade Adjustment Assistance provisions to assist U.S. workers who will be displaced. But GOP House leaders decided to have the House vote on Trade Promotion Authority and Trade Adjustment Assistance separately, assuming there was a better chance of passing both separately than passing them together in a single vote. But the strategy backfired. Though the House passed Trade Promotion Authority Friday, it rejected Trade Adjusmtent Assistance. This made the TPA vote a hollow "victory," since the legislation cannot be cleared by Congress and sent to the president for his signature unless both the House and Senate pass identical versions of the legislation.
Consequently, for the TPA and TAA to move forward, either the House has to take another go at it or the Senate must revisit it. (You have to appreciate the separation of powers our Founding Fathers put in place!) Ironically, the TAA was torpedoed on Friday by Democrats who support the trade adjustment assistance but who (in the words of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi) "want a better deal for America's workers."
As it stands now, the House may vote on Trade Assistance Authority again as early as next Tuesday. Thus, despite initial news reports in the wake of Friday's votes suggesting that ObamaTrade may have been dealt a deathblow, the political reality is that Mark Twain's famous quote "The report of my death was an exaggeration" may turn out to be very appropos. Much more arm-twisting and back-room deals are expected over the weekend as President Obama and establishment Republicans push for passage in an effort to avoid having the bill go back to the Senate.
Now if only the federal legislators who are forced to acknowledge the separation of powers given to us by the Founding Fathers would abide by the economic and foreign policies they gave us as well. That would be real recovery.
And we still have pro-ObamaTrade Cruzbots shilling for him and the destruction of America here on the Free Republic.
Un-friggin-believable!
The paradox in this bill in itself should've been enough for everyone to vote against it.
It has been said that in America we have the stupid party and the evil party. Sometimes they get together and do something both stupid and evil. This, we call bipartisanship.
Obama Trade = the real Capitalist Pigs.
In what is left of the industrial cities, the number of surely smaller.
According to the Congressional Research Service 3.5 million MANUFACTURING jobs were lost in the US as a result of NAFTA alone.
Why is this data never cited?
Does ANYONE, on this forum or anywhere believe the US benefited to an extent that mitigates the loss of 3.5 million manufacturing jobs?
If so, make you case.
Displaced American workers proves this Obamatrade deal is not in
America’s interest.
More welfare for American workers is not a good deal.
It is a bad idea.
TAA was an attempt to pacify big labor that failed. That’s all.
Probably wouldn't be able to get so much cool disposable stuff at the dollar store?
everyone goes on ObamaWelfare ?
You have to lose jobs before you can get jobs. LOL! They think we are all as stupid as dogs.
93 Million out of work. How many more have to be put out of work in order for the deal to work? The few whom are employed are already supporting way too many whom are not working. so senators and House representatives i would like to know what is the estimated amount of people this travesty would have to be retrained and for what specific jobs for retraining is to take place. The textile manufacturers are hit in the 62 page amendments to TPA.
What goodies will be added to Buy the votes to pass TAA. The bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Fast Rail in California. More Condoms and whatever. The bill already cuts Medicare reform - so the elderly and disabled will be hit and to what extant. Funny the disabled will not be able to get employment if there is a glut of job seekers because employers could not afford the modifications, nor would they have o hire anyone needing a modifications. So in essence the bill will blow up in the face of the elderly and disabled!
Brilliant article. Thanks for posting.
(TPP), (the Trade in Service Agreement) (TISA).
the (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) (TTIP) — has been kept hidden from the American people.
Not entirely....and maybe the lost jobs were in part due to refusal to change 'addresses'....people lose their jobs all the time, the government doesn't owe them a cent...Socialism v Capitalism 101.
That is what is really happening. The Dems are using it to squeeze more concessions from the so-called Rep controlled Congress. The Dems know that the Reps really want TPA and the agreements that follow, i.e., the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Trade in Service Agreement (TISA), and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
I predict that there will be a deal that will give the Dems (and Obama) all kinds of goodies in return for the passage of TAA - something the Dems really want. The net result will be a Dem victory that will portray the Dems as the defender of the American worker, however phony that may be, and cast the Reps as the corporatists who protect the wealthy. Total scam. The big loser: American workers once again.
Civilian labor force participation rate
When government policies distort the marketplace, who should be held accountable? Why are we bringing in 1.1 million LEGAL PERMANENT IMMIGRANTS a year and 640,000 guest workers annually? When you have a surplus of labor, and we do with the lowest labor participation rates in 38 years, why do we need more foreign labor, which take American jobs and depress wages. We have brought in 30 million LEGAL PERMANENT IMMIGRANTS since 1990.
The rights of the American worker versus mass immigration. Do you think that there might be a connection between declining wages, low labor participation rates, and bloated welfare rolls and mass immigration? Capitalism 101. The corporate and political elites have made this all possible.
What I recall from the wave of eliminating manufacturing jobs was that those displaced workers would be retrained in high-tech jobs, like IT workers.
Now they’re increasing the number of H1-B visas, to help eliminate the jobs of those high tech workers. I wonder what new careers the IT workers at Disney will be re-trained to do... Maybe to wear the Mickey & Minnie costumes in the Disney parks for minimum wage...
Mark
They should just outlaw being an American.
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