R.Reich As awful as is the Trans Pacific Partnership, there’s something even worse on the horizon...

[kristopher]

Robert Reich on FB

As awful as is the Trans Pacific Partnership, there’s something even worse on the horizon: It’s called the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) -- currently being negotiated in Geneva, Switzerland with 51 participants representing 70 percent of the world's trade in services. Even more secrecy surrounds TISA than TPP, but the parts that have been released by WikiLeaks show TISA would dramatically reduce how much governments can protect their own peoples’ health, safety, labor, and even the environment.

For example, governments wouldn’t be able to regulate staff to patient ratios in hospitals, prevent banks from becoming too large, ban fracking, improve safety controls on airlines, refuse accreditation to schools and universities, or prevent the importation of genetically modified foods. And governments couldn’t restrict foreign investment – they’d have to allow global corporations to run public services such as communications, postal services, health care, even education. Giant banks and other global financial institutions would have the power to transfer client data out of a country regardless of national privacy laws or banking regulations. And global corporations would have the right to comment on any new proposed national regulations, and contest them in a dispute mechanism similar to the investor-state dispute settlement in the Trans Pacific Partnership – where the corporations can get compensated for any “expected future profits” lost through such regulations.

The fast-track authority already granted the Trans Pacific Partnership – moving through Congress without amendment – would apply to TISA as well, since fast track lasts six years. Which means TISA is already being teed up. Yet not one presidential candidate has been asked about or said anything about TISA. Europeans have been loudly demonstrating against this global corporate takeover of their democracies. We should be making a ruckus, too.
What do you think? If you're European, what's the view of TISA from there?

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/?fref=nf

[tularetom]

1. I think we should know the names of everyone who advocates this godawful crap

And which political parties they belong to and which candidates they support.

[Elwood P Dowd]

4. There is a tiny group posters trolling around the internet advocating for these type deals.

Expect them to visit this thread any minute singing the praises of NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP, and this latest "godawful crap".

[hifiguy]

11. Those at DU are very well known

and easy ignore. I don't bother arguing with them anymore. And they are in all likelihood paid propagandists.

[Populist_Prole]

47. How true, How true

You can tell most are professional hired trolls:

They're not particularly passionate in their arguments in favor: yet they're posting all over the forums here like a rubber stamp anytime the issue comes up, as they try to saturate the discourse with pro-trade muck.

[Yuki55]

15. Tiny minions

It's so sad we giving away ours rights, for greed. Our healthcare, our work, educational institutions, what are we leaving our kids? Very sad the American public is so ignorant of their own government , and what it's doing to them. We are going backwards, so sad.

[Hortensis]

46. Nice to know can-do people are on top of it, though...

[roguevalley]

39. how about armed rebellion? BRING BACK THE

FUCKING GUILLOTINE!

[FlatBaroque]

2. I feel like a survivor in The Walking Dead

and these trade deals are zombies that will eventually eat my guts no matter how hard I fight back. We live in a time of corporate fascism. Sad.

[bvar22]

3. WOW.

That is the Christmas Wish List for the World's 1%.

You know, there are many Americans on the 1% list here that won't be able to make-the-cut in Europe's 1%. They won't even be allowed at the table.
I wonder if they know this....and maybe we should tell them about Europe's 1%.
American 1%ers live under bridges compared to Europe's High & Mighty.

[Shandris]

5. At this point I highly recommend everyone dust off their old 80's material...

...because we're going full-blown dystopia up in here. I'd start with some Blade Runner and end with Shadowrun, with a whole lot of good LoTek stuff inbetween.

Johnny Mnemonic might be good for a brush-up on our future, too...with a more comedic ending that at least leaves a smile.

At any rate, now that our governments are finally admitting that you don't matter to any of them and that what we've fought for was all smoke and mirrors, what's for dinner? I was thinking of a good rat sandwich, like they served underground in Demolition Man. I wonder how well the sewers are holding up these days anyway. Might be a good idea to find out.

[whathehell]

44. LOL..

Like your sense of humor Shandris, even while getting your point completely.


Blade Runner is one of my all time favorites, btw.

[jwirr]

6. Corporations are finally getting down to the reason for

globalization. End all reasons for borders between countries. End national recognition in business and give corporations all the power through trade deals.

I know that fascism = corporatism but was the above the final goal of Nazism?

[hifiguy]

10. More Mussolini's Fascism than Hitler's Nazism

Corporations were subject to the state in Fascist Germany. They had a lot of input but the Party and der Fuhrer had final say on policy whether the oligarchs liked it or not. But generally they benefited handsomely from Nazi policies.

[jwirr]

21. Thank you.

[Phlem]

7. K&R! For exposure!

[hifiguy]

8. The Fast Track to Global Feudalism.

Corporations uber alles
Uber alles in die Welt.

Slavery in all but name is just around the corner.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

19. Next stop: Batteries in the matrix

[phantom power]

9. Nothing inspires confidence like secret negotiations...

[snagglepuss]

12. K n r

[denverbill]

13. I don't know how Congress and the President can pass treaties that trump the Constitution.

I thought the Constitution was supposed to be the Supreme Law of the Land. If it can be nullified by a treaty, what the hell is the point of it?

[dmr]

41. Yes, I'd like an answer to your question.

What the hell is the point of our Constitution? And if it or parts of it be nullified by a treaty, then why bother going through the charade?

[TheKentuckian]

43. They don't even pass treaties because that is too hard so they pass "deals" that act like treaties

and pretend that somehow they didn't take a big ass steaming, runny shit on the Constitution.

Fast track is fucking treason and sedition and should be treated as such.

[abelenkpe]

14. If elected officials and governments can't

"protect their own peoples’ health, safety, labor, and even the environment" what are they there for at all?

[Elwood P Dowd]

17. They are there to serve their billionaire masters. Citizens like you and me don't qualify.

It's what the Bush Crime Family called "The" New World Order" that is being put in place. Or, as George Carlin said, "It's the big club and you ain't in it".

[hifiguy]

20. Eeyup

Their sole function in Corpoworld will be to keep the proles in line, even if that means rivers running red with their blood and bodies piled hundreds of feet high.

The Ma$ter$ call ALL of the shots and NOTHING will EVER be permitted to interfere with profits. Ever.

[PatrickforO]

27. Exactly! Cue Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and let the rollerballers skate out into the ring.

Houston!
Houston!
Houston!
Houston!

Jon-a-THAN!
Jon-a-THAN!

[floriduck]

16. Bu but but this one is the real

Gold Standard of trade agreements. No, not golg. It's the Platinum Standard, the Uranium Standard, Plutonium???

[PatrickforO]

29. Strontium 90?

[hifiguy]

35. Polonium-210

The radioisotope used to kill Alexander Litvinenko is extraordinarily toxic even in quantities less than a billionth of a gram. The LD50 of this compound is not a property of its chemistry. While other toxic metals such as mercury and arsenic kill through the interaction of the metal with the body, polonium kills by emitting radiation which shreds sensitive biomolecules, such as DNA, and kills cells. Its half-life – the time taken for half of the ingested material to decay – is about a month, leading to a slow death by radiation poisoning.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/five-most-poisonous-substances-polonium-mercury

[LongTomH]

18. I really want to see Bernie speak out on this!

This is another good reason to support Bernie!

[smirkymonkey]

22. God, how depressing!

However, they need to keep in mind that we still outnumber them and hell hath no fury greater than hopeless, desperate, starving people with nothing left to lose.

[polly7]

23. This just makes me sick. nt.

[hifiguy]

26. Hi polly!

Haven't seen you for a while.

Welcome back. They're alert-stalking Aerows and I, too, so we're all in the same club now!

[polly7]

32. Hello hifi!!!

Thank you ... I have three strikes left so they'll have to hit that button quite a few times. I'm sorry you're on the list - I don't see how they can get you and Aerows though, you're both waaaaaay too smart, speak the truth and don't let them get to you. Me ..... well, I guess I lack a little self-control. Was thinking of working on that! but ..... nah , it's not so bad just reading, and I really haven't had a hide I've regretted saying what I did.

Good to see you.

[hifiguy]

34. You too!

[BelgianMadCow]

24. Link dump

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/12/don-quijones-trade-services-agreement-lets-big-brother-go-global.html

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/13/capital-politics-wikileaks-democracy-market-freedom

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141109163

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/07/don-quijones-wikileaks-exposes-how-tisa-will-gut-financial-regulations-all-over-the-world.html

https://wikileaks.org/tisa/financial/analysis/Analysis-TiSA-Financial-Services-Annex.pdf

It's flying under the radar even here in Europe. TTIP however has encountered fierce resistance. Understand TISA will make regulating banks impossible.

[kristopher]

25. Not impossible by any means

I'm fairly sure these agreements - like ALL international obligations entered into - are not enforceable. If a nation wants they can drop out and all bets are off. ex: Japan is able to work the whaling issue their way because it's voluntary and they can withdraw at ay time.

However, the degree of political and economic clout that will accrue to the corps will make it even more difficult to push our nations government to do anything against corp interest than it is now.

[hifiguy]

28. And the judicial power is being transfered by these treaties

to wholly unaccountable bodies composed of corporate lawyers who have no allegiances save to money and their clients' interests.

[PatrickforO]

30. The oligarchs are going to taze us with TISA!

It's like going Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!

[pa28]

31. Reich gets it. TISA is not simple trade dealing, it's limits on the scope of democratic action.

Governments will be left to decide national holidays and what color the park benches should be.

[hifiguy]

33. Which is the entire point of corporations,

rather than elected governments ruling the world. Global feudalism.

[Triana]

36. Link directly to that post on his FB page...

..https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/photos/a.404595876219681.103599.142474049098533/1094362787242983/

[AZ Progressive]

37. TPP and TISA are both the new world order. Corporations regulating Government, set into law

[AZ Progressive]

38. Maybe this is the one reason why we need to vote for Bernie

We need someone in the presidency to block these things from happening. Hillary won't do damn shit about this. Corporations will be able to legally regulate our Government, thus Corporations will be legally our feudal lords!

[Armstead]

40. I give up, i just fucking give up

Fuckheads are screwing us, including the ones we elected. And we as a nation allow them to.

[raouldukelives]

42. What shareholders want, shareholders get. nt

[whathehell]

45. I may be naive, but

I somehow trust the Euros to see this pile of shit for what it is and reject it.

[Skwmom]

48. K&R - Everyone should read this.

[Hoyt]

49. Robert Reich, the man who is probably most responsible for NAFTA and even a few years ago said the

only mistake was not to add strong Labor and Environmental protections (NAFTA also has the investor dispute mechanism, just like TPP). Reich is looking for a job.

It's gonna take our "sovereignty" -- have people gone nuts?

?w=1094&h=446

Bumper stickers associated with the sovereign citizens movement (photo from the Southern Law Poverty Center)


I think the European Union -- including Sanders' favorite, Denmark -- know what and why they are in negotiations.