Noam Chomsky: Trans-Pacific Partnership is a “neoliberal assault”

[xchrom]

http://www.salon.com/2014/01/13/chomsky_tpp_is_a_neoliberal_assault/




Critics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement — a purported free trade deal between 11 countries, including the U.S., Canada and Japan, which has been in negotiations for some years — have noted that the deal has little to do with free trade. Rather, the TPP is about limiting regulation, helping corporate interests and imposes fiercer standards of intellectual property (to, again, largely benefit corporate interests).

Noam Chomsky has joined the chorus decrying the TPP. On Monday he told HuffPost Live that the deal, which is not yet finalized, is “designed to carry forward the neoliberal project to maximize profit and domination, and to set the working people in the world in competition with one another so as to lower wages to increase insecurity.”

Chomsky said it was “a joke” that the deal is designated a “free trade” agreement. “It’s called free trade, but that’s just a joke,” Chomsky said. “These are extreme, highly protectionist measures designed to undermine freedom of trade. In fact, much of what’s leaked about the TPP indicates that it’s not about trade at all, it’s about investor rights.”

The MIT professor also slammed the veil of secrecy that has surrounded TPP negotiations. Information on the deal available to Congress has even been highly limited. Were it not for a document leak published by WikiLeaks, the public would know almost nothing about the content of TPP negotiations. On reviewing the leaked draft TPP chapter, intellectual property law expert Dr. Matthew Rimmer called the deal, “a Christmas wish-list for major corporations.”

[Deep13]

1. yup, definately. nt

[SamKnause]

2. Noam

You are 100% correct Mr. Chomsky !!!!!!!!!!

[bvar22]

3. "Free Trade" is a SCAM designed by the RICH Corporate Owners...

...so that they could:
*Bust UNIONS

*Lower the cost of labor

*Laugh at Workers asking for "benefits"

*avoid Environmental Regulations

*avoid prosecution for Human Rights violations

*get MORE money for themselves

*Return America to a new and improved Gilded Age for the very RICH Ownership Class

Their SCAM has worked PERFECTLY as designed.


There is NO such thing as "Free Trade".
There is no such thing as a "Free Market".
There is certainly no all powerful, all knowing Invisible Hand that reaches down from the heavens and corrects "mistakes" in the "Free market".




[font size=4]The Golden Idol on the altar
of the Church of the Invisible Hand.[/font]

[Bragi]

5. No invisible hand? What?

I can't believe that. For the PTB to pull off shit like the TPP, there has to be an invisible hand somewhere. How otherwise could you get all those democratic leaders around the table meeting in total secrecy while telling their electorates absoluely nothing about what's happening?

Wait, I think I can feel an invisible hand being shoved up my backside right now...

- B

[bvar22]

10. Exactly!

BOHICA
[font size=1](Bend Over. Here It Comes Again)[/font]

[pa28]

4. K&R

[jsr]

6. Recommend

[colsohlibgal]

7. Corporate Coup

Trying to ram this corporate takeover through makes Obama's recent inequality speech so deceitful.

[pampango]

8. Why is this inconsistent with his speech on inequality?

All progressive countries have better income equality than the US and trade more than we do.

[truedelphi]

16. Your statement indicates that you think the TPP will

Will level the playing field so our nation suddenly becomes a fairer place to live.

When in actuality, it will allow the same Big Banking Forces that has transferred the middle class' wealth into the coffers of the One Percent so that can happen all over the world.

TPP means more profits for the Big Pharmaceutical companies. TPP means more profits for Big Financial Firms.

[pampango]

20. Progressive societies show that income equality comes from high/progressive taxes, a strong safety

net and legal support for unions. Trade deals have little, if anything to do with it. In fact, countries with the most equitable incomes have more trade deals than the regressive countries.

[truedelphi]

21. You say:

In fact, countries with the most equitable incomes have more trade deals than the regressive countries.

First of all, countries that are truly progressive have decent trade deals.

This is not a decent trade deal. This is another swindle for the Big Firms so more of our monies will go to Big Pharma, both here in the USA and abroad. And also it will allow the same sucker punch of banks getting to gamble away the monies on derivative bets, with Bailouts promised for them when they lose.

Right now, 49 cents out of every dollar of profit in the USA goes directly into coffers of Big Banks.

This TPP will let that sort of fascist and oligarchial scheme of things rule in all the other countries as well.

[pampango]

28. However "decent" the trade deals of Europe and Canada are, they trade much more than we do.

Trade is 50% of Canada's economy; 40% of Europe's; and just 20% of the US'.

The EU countries have "free trade" deals with 30 countries, not counting the free trade with each other (the 31 EU and EFTA countries). (So Germany, has 'free trade' with 60 countries yet has strong unions and a great distribution of income. US has "free trade" deals with 20 countries, weak unions and terrible income inequality.)

However you define a "decent" trade agreement, progressive countries seem to view trade as a positive that adds wealth to the society. They then use tax policy and support for unions and the safety net to make sure that trade's benefits are shared equitably with everyone.

[truedelphi]

30. I understand what you're saying, and of course one of the reasons that other nations

do trade is other nations actually produce items.

We have a society in which the economic forces running things ensure that 49 cents out of every dollar of profit generated in this nation goes directly to the Biggest Financial firms. Of course, they have a great deal of expense - it does cost money to outright own the House, the Senate and the Oval Office. Those gold Oval Office cuff links Jamie Dimon wears don't come cheap.

Where your argument really falls apart is here: THE TPP IS NOT ABOUT TRADE. It is about legalizing USA's oligarchial fascism across the globe!

[pampango]

33. "of course one of the reasons that other nations do trade is other nations actually produce items."

Indeed they do. But not as much as the US produces. China is the only country that manufactures more than the US ($1.9 trillion vs. our $1.8 trillion) and they have 4 times our population. Japan is at $1 trillion and Germany is #4 at $600 million a year.

Germany manufactures 1/3 of what the US does (with 1/4 of our population so they are very productive) but trade is 95% of their GDP or about $40,000 per capita. In the US trade is 30% of our GDP or about $14,700 per capita.

Germany does not trade at almost 3 times the rate we do because they produce so much. They see the benefit of trade then make sure that it is distributed fairly across their population.

I agree that the TPP is not primarily about trade. If it does not meet a high standard on labor rights and the environment, then it has no reason to be approved.

[antigop]

9. Hillary Clinton's Business Legacy at State Dept (leading part in drafting TPP)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101667554

[Helen Borg]

11. Well, what was NAFTA?

Same thing on a smaller scale, right?

[jtuck004]

14. To the extent that it addresses trade, yes. This goes far beyond that in restricting copyrights,

pharmaceuticals, etc. It may also impact our ability to protect ourselves from environmental hazards.

You can look at sites like this one, http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpactsYou.html - for more information, but the sneaky, lying bastards are trying to keep from revealing its impact on the US before it gets ratified, so it's difficult to tell what other traps and unfortunate consequences may be embedded in it.

[Broward]

12. Another crap deal, along with chained CPI, supported by Dems.

The rightward march continues.

[truedelphi]

22. Yes this sad march into fascism continues. n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

13. The joke is on us. K&R

[marmar]

15. k/r

[sabrina 1]

17. Thanks to Wikileaks we know something about their secret deal. Otherwise even Congress

was denied requests to see what they were up to.

Information on the deal available to Congress has even been highly limited. Were it not for a document leak published by WikiLeaks, the public would know almost nothing about the content of TPP negotiations. On reviewing the leaked draft TPP chapter, intellectual property law expert Dr. Matthew Rimmer called the deal, “a Christmas wish-list for major corporations.”

Another reason for the persecution of Wikileaks, anyone who exposes their corruption becomes a target.

Chomsky is correct but it won't matter, I am now convinced things have gone too far for anything to change or for the people to have any say in anything. With the two party system being so manipulated, Dems assigned to take care of some of the agenda, guaranteeing support from half, or almost half, the country and Republicans assigned to deal with the rest, guaranteeing support from at least the other half of the country, they cannot win.

Maybe it's time for some of that 'bi-partisanship' we keep hearing about that is supposedly so desirable 'in order to get things done'. The day that happens, will be the day they finally have to worry. But for now, watching the support from dems even here, for what was unthinkable when Bush was doing it, things will go on as they have with the people always on the losing end.

[truedelphi]

23. Actually in terms of a political awakening -

It is not only an obscure source like Pew Research that shows the majority of people have moved away from Two Party politics, but even Gallup!

Recent poll shows only 32% of all registered voters identify in total with Democratic Party, 24% for Republicans, and the rest - at over 44% - are thinking more independently.

[sabrina 1]

25. That's not surprising at all. I know they think that bullying people into voting for the lesser evil

is a good strategy for some reason. And of course they not only DON'T listen to voters's grievances, they dismiss them and this is the result. Now they will 'blame the voters' again as they did in 2010 because that is how the view the world.

Maybe if they paid attention and started catering to the voters, trying some of that bi-partisanship, in the form of partisanship for a change, we the people might not be so disillusioned.

[truedelphi]

32. The Puppet Masters are not about to let the puppets

Actually concern themselves with the people.

The genius of Obama is that he can read with total deadpan expression a speech that counters every word of a speech he delivered six months earlier. Like Jon Stewart's shows have suggested, it is important Obama not have that pathway between his brain and his mouth really connected. He needs to not remember what he said six months earlier, so he can act totally committed to the new words out of his mouth. But his act has worn thin for those of us who are paying attention.

[BelgianMadCow]

18. I'm gonna quote him in an Op-Ed, I think.

Chomsky is a global treasure.

[solarhydrocan]

19. Too bad this will be ignored by US Media who have a ridiculous bridge thing to pimp

How much time has Harris-Parry devoted to the TPP?

Chomsky said it was “a joke” that the deal is designated a “free trade” agreement. “It’s called free trade, but that’s just a joke,” Chomsky said. “These are extreme, highly protectionist measures designed to undermine freedom of trade. In fact, much of what’s leaked about the TPP indicates that it’s not about trade at all, it’s about investor rights.”

there it is.

NAFTA was a joke. The last word is "Agreement" for a reason.

[truedelphi]

24. Yes exactly as you say.

The manipulations of our elected officials as they serve as puppets for the One Percent show us that a lot more than a few highway lanes have been shut down.

Obama's economic policies, that were put in place by his self professed "good buddy" Tim Geithner, denied the states the monies they needed to rebuild the local, Main Street end of things, after the One Percent destroyed the economy.

But people would rather focus on Christie, or Rob Ford. I doubt most Americans even know who Geithner is.

[WillTwain]

26. Hillary: The Last Rabbit Out Of The Neo's Hat

Neoliberal and neoconservative are one and the same when it comes to the economy. Both favor multinational interests over America's working classes (blue, white and green collar).

They may squabble over the degree of bigotry and gun violence that is acceptable, but money is the common denominator of both political groups that have shared control of the United States for nearly 35 years.

So, it really does not matter to the corporatists which political party is in power. Clearly, Reagan and Bush were extreme supply side advocates, but Clinton and Obama are no slouches when it comes to beating up the middle-class. Clinton passed one minimum wage increase and passed no significant pro-union legislation. Obama, miraculously, has done less than Clinton.

This is what is so wonderful for the fat cats. Liberals celebrate after presidential victories, even though we have not had a progressive in office since LBJ. In 2008, lefties were crying tears of joy after Obama won the election. Wall Street was equally joyous. They and the media tricked the middle-class to elect another neoliberal. And they felt good about it. The nation focused on the president's race with no regard to his economic beliefs. We were no longer a bigoted nation. Let's party! The truth: we got duped.

This leads to Hillary. Women can get all excited to elect the first female president and ignore the neoliberal legacy of Clinton and Obama. Presto -- the country has another supply-side, anti-union DEMOCRAT in the White House for eight years.

The neos are running out of tricks. The first female president may be the last bait and switch they have, but eight more years of extreme right wing policies after President Obama leaves office (three more years) would probably be the final nail in the coffin for Joe Average.

If Hillary is the nominee, it better not be because of her gender. Race was the rabbit they pulled out of the hat in 2008 and now gender may be the magic act in 2016.

[truedelphi]

31. Thank you.

I am a bit scared reading your post, feeling like someone cloned me and now there are two of us.

Of course, one of the big problem is people are now apathetic about voting. Whereas Barack Obama had a record number of voters turn out, some 62.5 %, the rabbit is indeed out of the hat, with the result that many people will probably stay home during election cycle 2014 and 2016..

While there are differences between the two parties (The Republicans have ministers who preach against gays, while having sex with interns, while the Democrats had Anthony Weiner,) as out point out, there is little economic difference between the two parties. And should all of us get together and strengthen some third party, I imagine the people at the top will co opt that movement, just as they stole the two parties out from under us.

[polichick]

27. Even when we win, we lose. k&r

[Kurovski]

29. K&R. (nt).

[KoKo]

34. His words and views are always cut through the BS! Recommend

[Cheese Sandwich]

35. can I kick this still

or is it too late.