Obama says 'dearest friends are wrong' when it comes to trade
Source: The Hill
President Obama on Friday took on Democratic critics of his trade agenda, calling them wrong and arguing that Congress should back his request for fast-track authority.
Speaking hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the U.S. jobless rate had fallen to a seven-year low, Obama made his pitch for fast-track and a 12-nation Pacific trade pact at the Oregon headquarters of footwear and apparel giant Nike.
On trade, I actually think some of my dearest friends are wrong. They're just wrong, Obama said of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. This is the most progressive trade deal in history.
The president also warned that if the United States isnt involved in making trade deals, it will leave China to write the rules.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/241465-obama-says-dearest-friends-are-wrong-when-it-comes-to-trade
arcane1
(38,613 posts)Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)!!
denverbill
(11,489 posts)If this trade deal is embraced by people who think Obama is a commie, that should tell anyone with more than half a brain how this trade deal will work for American workers.
CharlotteVale
(2,717 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Response to Freddie Stubbs (Original post)
Post removed
totodeinhere
(13,058 posts)With the same tone of disdain he usually reserves for his Republican adversaries, Mr. Obama said liberals who are fighting the new trade accord, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, were just wrong and, in terms of some of their claims, making this stuff up. If they oppose the deal, he said, they must be satisfied with the status quo and want to pull up the drawbridge and build a moat around ourselves.
Those are some pretty strong words on Obama's part.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/business/nike-to-create-jobs-if-trans-pacific-partnership-is-approved.html
americannightmare
(322 posts)he said the same thing most sane people are...it's being negotiated in secret, they want to be able to fast track it, which means no amendments, and therefore it doesn't pass the smell test. If that's the legacy you want, Obama, too bad for you...
Enrique
(27,461 posts)that the GOP is pushing all out to pass the "most progressive trade deal in history".
I've wondered why the GOP is so willing to work so closely with Obama on this. Is it because the deal is so "progressive?"
And at the same time, the most liberal democrats are opposing "the most progressive trade deal in history".
florida08
(4,106 posts)neverforget
(9,436 posts)the most ardent supporters of the TPP here. Oh and I hate poor people in other countries too.
Republicans and the US Chamber of Commerce are pushing the "most progressive trade deal in history". Technically, the most progressive doesn't mean it IS progressive but it's all bullshit. Lol. They're pushing it because they know they can ship more jobs overseas for cheap labor.
canoeist52
(2,282 posts)mazzarro
(3,450 posts)SwankyXomb
(2,030 posts)were the Wall Street banksters.
hughee99
(16,113 posts)at making the case for it. If anyone is going to listen with an open mind on this, you'd think it would be the president's dearest friends. If he can't convince THEM he's right, how can he expect to convince anyone else?
ClickClack
(55 posts)Pardon me if this is the wrong place to ask, or if it has been asked (and answered) in other threads. I'm certain that I am not the first person to speculate about this.
If most politics boils down to quid pro quo, it seems highly possible to me that the most obstructive and least effective Congress of my lifetime might have offered something to the President if he can make the TPP happen for them and their deep-pocketed corporate overlords.
He's certainly going out of his way to push for it, even to the point of disparaging his own party. WTF?
PSPS
(13,601 posts)Anyone, even if they're a ringer like Obama, should know that the very last place to tout any kind of "trade agreement" would be at Nike -- the poster company for a heinous business model.
quadrature
(2,049 posts)get the proposed treaty
out in the open.
Thespian2
(2,741 posts)has a problem making friends with people who are not out to destroy North America...
If he thinks so highly of this piece of shit, publish it...in its entirety, and let everyone read it...He knows damn well that this is not a trade deal at all, but mechanisms whereby corporations will be able to rule the world...
I thought conservative assholes were against "ONE WORLD GOB'MENT"...
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)of "most progressive trade deal"?
elzenmahn
(904 posts)...so why are you REALLY pushing this so hard NOW, Mr. President?
BTW, China is ALREADY WRITING THE DAMNED RULES!!!!! Look at how much of OUR DEBT they hold now!
Not to mention the increasing number of formerly American companies that they now own (e.g. Continental Motors).
Sorry, Mr. President. I'm not buying it.
JayNev
(23 posts)Why is Obama pushing the TPP so hard, when it obviously is going to damage US workers who are supposed to be the Democratic base? The reason is that Obama knows that Bill Clintons made tens of millions after his presidency from corporations. A similar payoff waits for Obama.
It is mind blowing that Obama who campaigned on creating the most transparent Presidency is now keeping the details of TPP secret due to the fear that it will energize its opponents. It is hard to oppose something without knowing what it is.
The TPP is going to push the US worker down even further. Free trade agreements like NAFTA and MNF for China are the reason why workers wages are stagnant while corporations make record profits.
Back in 2008 voters had a lot of illusions about Obama, but I felt he could not be trusted. His dealings with Exelon had shown he would do corporations bidding.
McCain would have led the US into new foolish wars, but he is too honest to try to pass secret trade agreements. The damage to US workers from free trade agreements is practically permanent. The rotten economy has led to a spike in suicides, especially among middle aged white males. Expect this sorry situation to continue.
Obama likely cares about the US workers, but just not enough to forsake the post presidency millions that wait for him.
Those who fantasize that Warren is the savior should go back and read the things Obama said before the 2008 elections, it sounds a lot like what Warren is saying now.
redstateblues
(10,565 posts)Is ridiculous. Obama does not need to worry about future income. Cheney perhaps but not Obama.
840high
(17,196 posts)JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Last edited Sat May 9, 2015, 02:53 AM - Edit history (1)
It is one thing to drop single payer when even Democratic Senators are threatening to filibuster -- it is one thing to have a mandate, it is quite another to use the health insurance lobby's argument -- remarkable for someone vigorously opposed to Hillary Clinton during the primary.
Here is a list of cleared advisers, TPP is being negotiated by corporate lawyers & lobbyists.
The negotiating text of ACTA and many other documents, including even the lists of participants in the negotiations, are secret. The White House claims the secrecy is required as a matter of national security. But that does not mean the documents are off limits to everyone outside of the government. Hundreds of advisors, many of them corporate lobbyists, are considered cleared advisors. They have access to the ACTA documents.
Who are these cleared advisors? They are the members of these 27 USTR advisory boards:
http://www.ustr.gov/Who_We_Are/List_of_USTR_Advisory_Committees.html
All members of the advisory boards can request access to classified ACTA documents. Below are the members of just four of the advisory boards, ITAC 15, 8, 10 and 3.
Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Intellectual Property Rights
ITAC 15
Chairman , Mr. Eric H. Smith
President
International Intellectual Property Alliance
Vice-Chairman
Mr. Jacques J. Gorlin
President
The Gorlin Group
Sandra M. Aistars, Esq.
Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property
Time Warner Inc.
Kira M. Alvarez, Esq.
Director, International Government Affairs
Eli Lilly and Company
Mark Chandler, Esq.
Senior Vice President, General Counsel,
and Secretary
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Ms. Erin L. Ennis
Vice President
The U.S.-China Business Council
Francis (Frank) Z. Hellwig, Esq.
Senior Associate, General Counsel
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
J. Anthony Imler, Ph.D.
Director, Public Policy, Latin America
Merck & Co., Inc.
Ms. Mary A. Irace
Vice President, Trade and Export Finance
National Foreign Trade Council, Inc.
Jeffrey P. Kushan, Esq.
Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood LLP
Representing Biotechnology Industry
Organization
Stevan D. Mitchell, Esq.
Vice President, Intellectual Property Policy
Entertainment Software Association
Douglas T. Nelson, Esq.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel,
and Secretary
CropLife America
Timothy P. Trainer, Esq.
President
Global Intellectual Property
Strategy Center, P.C.
Representing the Thomas G. Faria
Corporation
Neil I. Turkewitz, Esq.
Executive Vice President
Recording Industry Association of America
Ms. Susan C. Tuttle
Governement Programs Executive
IBM Corporation
Mr. Herbert C. Wamsley
Executive Director
Intellectual Property Owners Association
Ms. Anissa S. Whitten
Trade Director
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.
Ms. Deborah E. Wiley
Senior Vice President
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Association of American Publishers, Inc.
Shirley Zebroski, Ph.D
Director, Legislative Affairs
General Motors Corporation
Total Members = 19
Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Health Science Products and Services
ITAC 3
Chairman
Mr. V. M. (Jim) DeLisi
President
Fanwood Chemical, Inc.
Primary Vice-Chairman
Robert E. Branand, Esq.
Representative
National Paint & Coatings Association
Secondary Vice-Chairman
W. Martin (Marty) Strauss, Ph.D.
Vice President, Consumer Traits and Food Policy
Monsanto Company
Karen L. Bland, Esq.
Consultant
Representing The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.
Mr. Michael D. Boyd
Vice President, Public Affairs International
Schering-Plough Corporation
Shawn M. Brown
Vice President of State Affairs
Generic Pharmaceutical Association
Mr. P. Claude Burcky
Divisional Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Policy
Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
Mr. Morris A. Chafetz
President
Hemisphere Polymer and Chemical
Company, Inc.
Mr. Harrison C. Cook
Director, International Government Affairs
Eli Lilly and Company
Mr. Donald E. Ellison
Representative
Government Relations, LLC
SACMA
D. Geoffrey B. Gamble, Esq.
Director, International Government Affairs
E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company
Mr. Edward L. Gibbs
President
North Coast Medical Equipment, Inc.
Trevor J. Gunn, Ph.D.
Director, International Relations
Medtronic, Inc.
Ms. Tine K. Hansen-Turton
Chief Executive Officer
National Nursing Centers Consortium
Ms. Regina L. Harper
Regulatory Affairs Manager
Milliken Chemical
Ms. Mary A. Irace
Managing Director, Global Affairs
American Chemistry Council
Mr. Ralph F. Ives
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Analysis
Advanced Medical Technology Association
Mr. Craig S. Kramer
Vice President, International
Government Affairs
Johnson & Johnson
Mr. Adrian Krygsman
Director, Product Registration
Troy Corporation
Ms. Nancy R. Levenson
Director, U.S. Federal Government Relations
S.C.Johnson & Son, Inc.
Matthew T. McGrath, Esq.
Partner
Barnes, Richardson and Colburn
Representing Intermune, Inc.
Mr. Lloyd N. Moon
Vice President
Chemtura Corporation
Ms. Tracey J. Norberg
Vice President, Environment and Resource
Recovery
Rubber Manufacturers Association
Ms. Rosemary L. OBrien
Vice President, Public Affairs
CF Industries, Inc.
Mr. Gerald R. Prout
Vice President, Government and Public
Affairs
FMC Corporation
Mr. J. Lawrence Robinson
President
Color Pigments Manufacturers Association, Inc.
George L. Rolofson, Ph.D.
Consultant in Agricultural Science and Environmental, Regulatory, and Trade Policy
Rolofson Consulting
Representing Gowan Company
Ms. Lisa M. Schroeter
Director, International Policy
The Dow Chemical Company
Ms. Marjory E. Searing
Vice President, Public Affairs Japan/Asia and Latin America
Pfizer Inc.
Mr. Isi A. Siddiqui
Vice President, Science and Regulatory Affairs
CropLife America
Mr. Arthur J. Simonetti
Director, Trade Legislation and Regulation
Honeywell International, Inc.
Mr. Henry P. Stoebenau
President
Efficient Global Trade, Inc.
Representing American Association of Exporters and Importers
Mr. Albert C. (Cal) Sutphin
President Braden Sutphin Ink Company
Mr. Ford B. West
President
The Fertilizer Institute
Mr. Andrew C. Zamoyski
President
Zamoyski and Company
Representing Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association
Total Members = 35
Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce
ITAC 8
Chairman
Mr. SteveW. Stewart
Director, Public Affairs
IBM Corporation
Primary Vice-Chairman
Ms. B. Anne Craib
Director, International Trade and Government Affairs
Semiconductor Industry Association
Secondary Vice-Chairman
Mr. Robert J. Mulligan
Senior Vice President International
AeA: Advancing the Business of Technology
Mr. Arun K. Bhumitra
Chief Executive Officer
Arjay Telecommunications
Mark F. Bohannon, Esq.
General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Public Policy Software and Information
Industry Association
Mr. Anthony Caldwell
President
Global Business Communication Solutions, LLC
Representing XSelData
Ms. Melika D. Carroll
Director, Federal Government Affairs
Micron Technology, Inc.
Ms. Susan D. Chapman
Director, e-Commerce Policy and Asia Pacific Trade Policy
General Motors Corporation
Mr. Calman J. Cohen
President
Emergency Committee for American Trade
Tod H. Cohen, Esq.
Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Government Relations
eBay Inc.
Holly A. Evans, Esq.
President
Strategic Counsel, LLC
Representing Advanced Micro Devices
Mark E. Foster, Esq.
Attorney
Law Offices of Mark E. Foster
Representing Transaction Network Services, Inc.
Ms. Meredith L. Golemon-Anderson
Director, International Trade Policy
Oracle Corporation
Mr. John P. Goyer
Vice President, International Trade
Negotiations and Investment
U.S. Coalition of Service Industries
Mr. Christopher G. Hankin
Director, Federal Affairs
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Ms. Tania W. Hanna
Director, Government Relations
Corporate Washington Office
Harris Corporation
Mr. Christopher J. Hirth
Director, Web Commerce Group
Intuit Inc.
Mr. David M. Leifer, Esq.
Senior Counsel
American Council of Life Insurers
Mr. Charles B. OHara
Manager, National Government Relations
The Procter & Gamble Company
Ms. Wendy E. Owens
Chief Executive Officer
AbleMedia LLC
Mr. Joseph A. Pasetti
Manager, Government Affairs
Applied Materials, Inc.
Mr. Daniel J. Peterson
Vice President, Industry and Government Affairs
Cook Group Incorporated
Mr. Edward M. Rozynski
Vice President, Global Government Affairs
Stryker Corporation
Jacquelynn Ruff, Esq.
Vice President, International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Verizon Communications Inc.
Ms. Loretta L. Schmitzer
Vice President, Government Affairs
The Boeing Company
Mr. Gregory S. Slater
Director, Trade Policy
Intel Corporation
Ms. Sarah G. Smiley
Associate Vice President
Advanced Medical Technology Association
Stephen B. Whitaker, Ph.D.
President
Whitaker Strategies, LLC
Representing BOSE Corporation
Total Members = 28
Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Services and Finance Industries
ITAC 10
Chairman
Mr. J. Robert Vastine, Jr.
President
U.S. Coalition of Service Industries
Vice-Chairman
Ms. Elizabeth R. Benson
President
Energy Associates
Mr. Thomas A. Allegretti
President and Chief Executive Officer
The American Waterways Operators
Mr. Fredric S. Berger, P.E.
Senior Vice President
The Louis Berger Group, Inc.
Mr. Stuart J. Brahs
President
Stuart J. Brahs Consulting
American Council of Life Insurers
Timothy C. Brightbill, Esq.
Member, American Bar Association
Wiley Rein LLP
Stephen J. Canner, Ph.D.
Vice President, Investment and Financial Services
United States Council for International
Business
Ms. Ellen M. Delage
Director, International Relations
The American Institute of Architects
Paul H. DeLaney III
FedEx Express
Linda Menghetti Dempsey, Esq.
Vice President
Emergency Committee for American Trade
Peter D. Ehrenhaft, Esq.
Senior Counsel
Peter D. Ehrenhaft Consulting
Representing Harkins Cunningham, LLP
Mr. Gregory M. Frazier
Executive Vice President
Worldwide Government Policy
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.
Madeleine F. Green, Ph.D.
Vice President and Director,
Center for International and Institutional Initiatives
American Council on Education
Ms. Leslie C. Griffin
Vice President, International Governmental Affairs
New York Life Insurance Company
Mr. Charles P. Heeter Jr.
Principal, International Government Affairs
Deloitte and Touche USA LLP
Ms. Selina E. Jackson
Vice President, International Public Affairs
UPS
Mr. William A. Jordan
Senior Director, Government Affairs and Communications
The McGraw-Hill Companies
Mr. Leonard N. Karp
President and Chief Executive Officer
Philadelphia International Medicine
Mr. Robert D. Kramer
Vice President, Public Policy
Computing Technology Industry Association
Mr. Gary W. Kushnier
Vice President, International Policy
American National Standards Institute
Ms. Laura J. Lane
Senior Vice President,
International Government Affairs
Citigroup Inc.
Dr. Marjorie Peace Lenn
President
Center for Quality Assurance in International Education
Mr. Shawn C. McBurney
Vice President, Governmental Affairs
American Hotel and Lodging Association
Mr. DeRohn S.T. Mitchell
Deputy Director, Government and Business Relations
Alvarez & Marsal, LLC
Mr. Kevin C.W. Mulvey
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and International Affairs
American International Group, Inc.
Mr. Patrick J. Natale, P.E.
Executive Director
American Society of Civil Engineers
Mr. Bryan M. Pickel
Vice President, Federal Government Affairs and External Affairs
Prudential Financial, Inc.
Mary S. Podesta, Esq.
Senior Counsel
Investment Company Institute
Jean M. Prewitt, Esq.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Independent Film & Television Alliance
Mr. Ivan J. Sotomayor
Managing Partner
Sotomayor & Associates, LLP
Ms. Sarah F. Thorn
Director, International Trade
Federal Government Relations
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Mr. Philip M. Vaughn
Senior Director, Government Relations
Fluor Corporation
Mr. Carlos C. Villarreal, P.E.
Executive Vice President, Operations
Wilbur Smith Associates
Christian (Chris) E. Wolfe, Esq.
Partner, Business Planning and Taxation
Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.
Total Members = 34
http://keionline.org/blogs/2009/03/13/who-are-cleared-advisors
Obama will advocate for some domestic labor friendly policy & veto Republican union busting legislation -- When it comes to bargaining, Big Business goodies (what the Republicans want) are offered right away in exchange for modest middle to lower class policies, moving the middle ground. I don't know if he stands to profit from it but it is clear big business has his ear defining the terms of the debate. Also when you look at US defense policy, private companies don't have to worry about US debt nor do politicians for that matter -- private defense companies are looting from taxpayers. Having board of directors of oil & banking multinationals.
I can't copy & paste but worth a read of the preview pages -- The Global Class War: How America's Bipartisan Elite Lost Our Future
By Jeff Faux
https://books.google.com/books?id=ORkb5cWp9NsC&pg=PT51&lpg=PT51&dq=oil+bank+board+of+directors+defense+secretary&source=bl&ots=wZaq3S66ly&sig=o6VyaxC9Vg9I-HQ8uHmpzmGROHA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rJpNVb2dFdbSoASmtoDgCg&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=oil%20bank%20board%20of%20directors%20defense%20secretary&f=false
ancianita
(36,066 posts)Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)Maybe someday we can have a leader who isn't working for big business. That won't ever happen, because to get money out of politics you have to have the support of the very people benefiting from it.
florida08
(4,106 posts)of all who believed in him. Have heard it has some good things in it but that the bad significantly out weighs it. Allowing corporate fascists to sue us if they lose a dime is beyond the pale. Have lost all faith in this man.
I am so disappointed in BHO it makes me ill. I'm voting for Bernie no matter what. I do wish Elizabeth would run but she may be a disappointment too. Bernie is the real deal. I don't care if he's old. He actually cares about us "little people".
Stonecarver.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)of an eight year Presidency are often the most painful for those who put that President into office twice.
doc03
(35,345 posts)unemployment. Baltimore was the home of the largest steel mill in the USA until NAFTA. Same goes for Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Detroit, to name a few others. That's the result of all these free trade deals.
cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)read is probably what would happen here unless it has some protection built in to prevent the corporations from fucking over the American people like they are slathering all over themselves to do.
doc03
(35,345 posts)corporate Democrat Bill Clinton showed and destroyed unions and manufacturing in the USA. We were told about protections by
Bill Clinton and Al Gore they lied out their fucking ass.
cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)If there were actual protection in this trade deal and not vague reassurances I would say sure why not but so far its looking like there is jack shit in it that would do anything to prevent or at least make the corporations hesitate on fucking over most of us.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Until people can grasp the fact that US manufacturing has been going up they're going to have trouble coming up with workable trade ideas.
doc03
(35,345 posts)Recursion
(56,582 posts)http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_in_the_United_States
Manufacturing exports alone are up 400% over the last 30 years; output is up 500%.
The biggest sectors are transportation equipment, electronics, heavy plant, processed foodstuffs (see "Food, Inc." if you think this shouldn't count -- this isn't burger flippers but the guys in factories making pink slime), and business equipment. About the only sector we've lost ground in is light consumer goods, and we still do most of the prototyping for that.
The collapse in manufacturing employment is undeniable, but there simply has not been a collapse in manufacturing itself. We've never manufactured more. If the top 500 us manufacturers were a country, they'd have the third largest GDP in the world. China only surpassed our manufacturing sector two years ago, and we will probably pass them again this decade.
doc03
(35,345 posts)Where did all the 10000 local steel jobs and the 3000 local aluminum jobs we had in 1970s go? Steel and aluminum aren't light consumer goods. The only reason we have an auto industry at all is from government intervention.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)to make the stuff we buy in stores.
The steel and aluminum jobs were automated away; we still refine a lot of bauxite.
doc03
(35,345 posts)furnace in the USA and we could not compete with 50 cent an hour slave labor and a country that has no environmental or safety laws.
Our furnace was built after one the same company built in China. We recovered 100 tons of dust a day from our emissions. The one in China has no pollution control it pumped 100 tons of dust into the air every day. The engineer that built it over there said you could shovel up the dust on the ground around that plant. It contained iron, zinc, arsenic, lead and various other carcinogenic gases that we had to remove. Bill Clinton said we would be playing on an even field, does that look even to you? Oh and our furnace was made in Italy and Korea, why? Because the companies that did make mill equipment in this country don't exist anymore. Mesta, Wean, McKay and Blow Know to name a few. All the pipe used in our furnace came from China, we don't make it anymore. The electric equipment came from General Electric (made in Mexico). The furnace vessel was made in Italy. The electronics came from Germany. The AC came from Mexico. Out of a $130 million project the only piece I saw that came from the USA was one piece of 36" diameter pipe, the contractor said it had been laying around their yard for several years.
doc03
(35,345 posts)money is made from value added products, now you take that and make aluminum and cars and other
products that is were jobs are made. For every job in the steel industry they say there were 8 to 10 indirect jobs
produced in companies that serviced the industry and service jobs produced because we had a good middle class income from a middle class income. The Chinese buy lots of our coal, it is used to make value added products that they send over here now.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Baltimore has a lower poverty rate and lower income inequality than most US cities.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026586953
truthisfreedom
(23,148 posts)years, seen so much, and I feel an intrinsic trust for Obama. What gives? Why not trust the professor?
Cha
(297,287 posts)been right more than those who have spewed nothing but cheap pot shots since 2009.
Check out the "Fuck you Obama".. that got a hide. HAHA.
LeftOfWest
(482 posts)hate TPP.
Kablooie
(18,634 posts)He's not trying to convince with facts.
Instead he uses scare tactics which is a Fox News technique.
That is always a sign that they are trying to pull something over on you.
I don't know why he sides with them, it seems uncharacteristic, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will be great for the rich corporations while damaging the average guys life even more, otherwise he would be laying out all the positive points to convince us.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)What exactly will it do that will open up jobs here?
From what I can tell, it appears US companies will move their electronics manufacturing from China to Singapore or Malaysia. Vietnam has a significant manufacture sector themselves but seems to be more food processing & cloth. They all manufacture rubber & plastics. Malaysia & Vietnam have significant (secondary to their main manufacturing) oil & gas production -- Malaysia has a trade surplus too, they are also Singapore's top trade partner from what I can tell it works out for both. Not sure how exactly but water is a huge part of it.,
-----Singapore Economy
Financial aspects
Tariffs. Water and sewer tariffs in Singapore are set at a level allowing cost recovery, including capital costs. Water and sewer tariffs were raised substantially in the late 1990s, so that the average monthly domestic bill including taxes increased from S$ 13 in 1996 to S$ 30 in 2000.[44] The sewerage tariff (called "waterborne fee" is S$ 0.30/m3 for domestic users plus a fixed tariff of S$ 3 per "chargeable fitting" per month. The water tariff includes a conservation tax set at 30% that increases to 45% for domestic consumption above 40 m3 per month. A general service tax of 7% is added to the bill. As of 2012, a household consuming 20 m3 per month and that has three "chargeable fittings" faces a water bill of S$ 32.5 per month and a sewer bill of S$ 15 per month, both including all taxes. The total of S$ 47.5 (USD 37.7) per month corresponds to S$ 2.38/m3 (US$1.88/m3). Industrial water tariffs are set lower at S$ 0.52/m3.[3] Water and sewerage tariffs are lower than tariffs in some European countries such as in Germany where the average water and sewer tariff including taxes was Euro 3.95 per m3 in 2004.
Investment. In the financial year 2010 PUB undertook investments of S$ 411 million (USD 290 million) in its own assets, mainly for water supply and NEWater, and S$ 451 million (USD 319 million) for assets belonging to the government, mainly for sanitation and stormwater drainage.[4] This corresponds to annual investments of USD 117 per capita, which is higher than in the United States where the corresponding figure is USD 97.
Financing. In 2005 PUB issued for the first time a bond, raising S$ 400 million, to finance part of its investment program. Since then, bonds have been issued regularly, including a S$ 300 million bond with a maturity of 20 years in 2007.[45] During the financial year 2010, PUB Group received an operating grant of S$ 185 million to fund the operation and maintenance of the stormwater drainage network and operating costs of certain water infrastructure assets such as the Marina, Serangoon and Punggol Reservoir schemes.[4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Singapore#Financial_aspects
Like I said with Malaysia having a trade surplus, one thing I notice is outside of China all of the countries already have trade relations I don't see how without black magic this will be good for US labor. The good news is it doesn't appear one sided for most of the countries involved -- I just don't see manufacturing jobs here. Especially for electronics, all those Foxconn jobs will just move south.
------Malaysia Economy
In 2013, Malaysia's total external trade totalled US$424 billion, made up of US$230.7 billion of exports and US$192.9 billion of imports, making Malaysia the world's 21th largest exporter and the world's 25th largest importer.
Malaysia's largest trading partner is China. Malaysia has been China's top trading partner within ASEAN for five years in a row since 2008. The two-way trade volume between China and Malaysia in 2013 reached $106 billion, making Malaysia China's third-largest trade partner in Asia, just behind Japan and South Korea and eighth largest overall.[66] On 31 May 2014, during Najib Razak's visit to China where he was welcomed by China's Premier Li Keqiang, China and Malaysia pledged to increase bilateral trade to US$160 billion by 2017. They also agreed to upgrade economic and financial co-operation, especially in the production of halal food, water processing and railway construction.[67]
Malaysia's second largest trading partner is Singapore and Malaysia is Singapore's biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling roughly $91 billion US dollars in 2012, accounting for over a fifth of total trade within ASEAN.[68][69]
Malaysia's third largest trading partner is Japan, amounting RM137.45 billion (US$42 billion) of trade in 2014, an increase of 1.4% compared with to 2013. Out of this, exports totalled RM82.71 billion (US$25.6 billion), a growth of 4.4% cent while imports contracted 2.9% to RM54.75 billion (US$16.74 billion). Malaysian Ambassador to Japan Datuk Ahmad Izlan Idris said the main exports from Malaysia to Japan were liquefied natural gas (LNG), electrical and electronics as well as chemical-based products. He said Malaysia's main imports from Japan were electrical and electronics, machines and equipment as well as spare parts and accessories for vehicles and cars.[70]
Malaysia is an important trading partner for the United States. In 1999, two-way bilateral trade between the US and Malaysia totalled US$30.5 billion, with US exports to Malaysia totalling US$9.1 billion and US imports from Malaysia increasing to US$21.4 billion. Malaysia was the United States' 10th-largest trading partner and its 12th-largest export market. During the first half of 2000, US exports totalled US$5 billion, while US imports from Malaysia reached US$11.6 billion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Malaysia#Free_trade_efforts
Quackers
(2,256 posts)Cha
(297,287 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)such powerful belief in any politician.
Cha
(297,287 posts)he's been right a lot more than the ignorant cheap pot shots on the internet.
And, no.. it's not a "slap in the face for all those who believed in him".. I trust him and I'm not the only one.
Kablooie
(18,634 posts)the fact that he refuses to do this And instead resorts to Fox News style scare tactics raises a huge, HUGE red flag.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)meow2u3
(24,764 posts)YOU are wrong! Do you really want Americans to lose their jobs to slaves in Malaysia, which has a serious human trafficking problem? Do you want foreign corporations to be able to sue to overturn American laws, even if the demands of big business fly in the face of the Constitution?
No, Mr. President, YOU are wrong--not your friends! Get a clue.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)greater power than nation-states to sue to overturn national labor, environmental and human rights laws they don't like.
On this one, you're "just wrong" my friend.