The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Posted 1/24/17
The TPP is officially dead. But this is a vampire issue - it WILL rise from the dead. The TTIP and TiSA are both in the pipeline and are equally dangerous. We must be prepared.
The media and politicians like to refer to the TPP as a "trade deal" that is opposed by unions. Sometimes the opposition of environmental groups is mentioned. What is rarely mention is the true danger of these so-called trade agreements - the ISDS.
Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS)
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) or investment court system (ICS) is a system through which individual companies can sue countries for alleged discriminatory practices. The practice was made widely known through the Philip Morris v. Uruguay case, where the tobacco company Philip Morris sued Uruguay after having enacted strict laws aimed at promoting public health. ISDS is an instrument of international public law and provisions are contained in a number of bilateral investment treaties, in certain international trade treaties, such as NAFTA (chapter 11), and the proposed TPP (chapters 9 and 28) and CETA (sections 3 and 4) agreements. ISDS is also found in international investment agreements, such as the Energy Charter Treaty. If an investor from one country (the "home state") invests in another country (the "host state"), both of which have agreed to ISDS, and the host state violates the rights granted to the investor under public international law, then that investor may bring the matter before an arbitral tribunal.
While ISDS is often associated with international arbitration under the rules of ICSID (the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes of the World Bank), it often takes place under the auspices of international arbitral tribunals governed by different rules or institutions, such as the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre or the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
Click HERE for the rest of the Wikipedia article on the ISDS
The media and politicians like to refer to the TPP as a "trade deal" that is opposed by unions. Sometimes the opposition of environmental groups is mentioned. What is rarely mention is the true danger of these so-called trade agreements - the ISDS.
Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS)
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) or investment court system (ICS) is a system through which individual companies can sue countries for alleged discriminatory practices. The practice was made widely known through the Philip Morris v. Uruguay case, where the tobacco company Philip Morris sued Uruguay after having enacted strict laws aimed at promoting public health. ISDS is an instrument of international public law and provisions are contained in a number of bilateral investment treaties, in certain international trade treaties, such as NAFTA (chapter 11), and the proposed TPP (chapters 9 and 28) and CETA (sections 3 and 4) agreements. ISDS is also found in international investment agreements, such as the Energy Charter Treaty. If an investor from one country (the "home state") invests in another country (the "host state"), both of which have agreed to ISDS, and the host state violates the rights granted to the investor under public international law, then that investor may bring the matter before an arbitral tribunal.
While ISDS is often associated with international arbitration under the rules of ICSID (the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes of the World Bank), it often takes place under the auspices of international arbitral tribunals governed by different rules or institutions, such as the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre or the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
Click HERE for the rest of the Wikipedia article on the ISDS
Posted 8/27/16
Is the TPP (finally) DEAD? Ellyn Ferguson, writing for Roll Call on 8/26/16, says yes . . .
The Senate will not vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year because of “serious flaws” in the agreement, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation on Thursday, effectively ending President Barack Obama’s drive for congressional approval before he leaves office in January.
The Senate will not vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year because of “serious flaws” in the agreement, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation on Thursday, effectively ending President Barack Obama’s drive for congressional approval before he leaves office in January.
Posted 8/17/16
Senator Warner and the TPP:
Just Another Tool of Monsanto and the Rest of our Corporate Masters?
by Shelley Pineo-Jensen, Ph.D. (Dr. P-J)
From Politico’s Burgess Everett (7/27/16):
=============
PHILADELPHIA — Virginia’s most powerful Democrats are all over the place on the divisive Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe thinks — or hopes — Hillary Clinton will work to pass a tweaked Trans-Pacific Partnership. Clinton’s running mate and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is now opposed to TPP, after generally praising it this year. And Sen. Mark Warner said in an interview here Wednesday morning that he still supports it, with reservations, offering advice for how the dwindling number of pro-trade Democrats can soothe concerns about the pact.
“I supported granting the president trade authority. I support TPP. But I think we need to recognize that there’s going to be a lot more support for communities that have been adversely affected by trade and we need to do a lot better on trade enforcement,” Warner said. He called Britain's vote last month to exit the European Union a “wake-up call” for how voters view global trade.
TPP is the brightest flash point between Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters at the Democratic National Convention this week. “No TPP” signs are everywhere. But Warner, a centrist and self-described “pro-trade Democrat,” is not backing away from TPP despite Kaine’s flip and the clear movement against massive trade deals among members of the party’s base.
Warner said Congress should approve more money to help people displaced by the trade deal with Pacific nations, known as Trade Adjustment Assistance. He suggested a much broader outreach program for pro-trade Democrats to stay on the right side of voters.
“TPP is going to add $800 billion to $1 trillion to the economy; we need to do a lot more than the measly $4.5 billion for those who we have left behind,” Warner said. "Think about that: That’s less than half of 1 percent of the value being added to the economy."
The centrist Virginian refused to respond to McAuliffe’s comments on Tuesday night asserting that Clinton would push a revised TPP through Congress. The comments played into liberals’ worst fears that Clinton is running as an anti-TPP Democrat but would govern far differently.
“I’m not going to comment on Gov. McAuliffe's comments. What I will tell you is I’ve been a strong advocate for trade,” Warner said. “Those of us who advocate for trade need to acknowledge there’s been too many of us left behind.”
=============
What is not said?
No mention of the ISDS – Investor State Dispute Settlement which hands over judicial control of our country to an international court. The Canadian corporations who want the Keystone Pipeline are suing the US in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ISDS at the moment. We already lost our meat labeling because that court ruled that we violated the rights to a profit to corporations in Mexico and Canada with our country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) of meat law. In order to avoid billions of dollars in fines, our US Congress dismantled COOL.
The ISDS in the TPP is more powerful than the one in the WTO. The media scrupulously avoids talking about ISDS – there’s a reason for that. Our corporate masters, of whom Senator Warner appears to be a tool, want us to think of the TPP as a “trade agreement” when it is, in fact, a binding contract with transnational corporations including Monsanto (which helped write it) that empowers them to ramp up their exploitation of the resources of the planet, human and other.
For more information on the TPP – check out this page on my website: http://drpj.weebly.com/tpp.html
=============
Take action
Here is contact information for Senator Warner – please call his offices and discuss the ISDS with the staff person who answers the phone. Don’t just leave a message – talk to a person.
Washington, D.C.
475 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2023
Abingdon
180 West Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Phone Number: 276-628-8158
Norfolk
101 W. Main Street, Suite 7771
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone Number: 757-441-3079
Richmond
919 E. Main Street, Suite 630
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone Number: 804-775-2314
Vienna
8000 Towers Crescent Drive Suite 200
Vienna, Virginia 22182
Phone: 703-442-0670
Roanoke
110 Kirk Avenue SW
Click HERE for Senator Warner's "contact" page to email:
Just Another Tool of Monsanto and the Rest of our Corporate Masters?
by Shelley Pineo-Jensen, Ph.D. (Dr. P-J)
From Politico’s Burgess Everett (7/27/16):
=============
PHILADELPHIA — Virginia’s most powerful Democrats are all over the place on the divisive Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe thinks — or hopes — Hillary Clinton will work to pass a tweaked Trans-Pacific Partnership. Clinton’s running mate and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is now opposed to TPP, after generally praising it this year. And Sen. Mark Warner said in an interview here Wednesday morning that he still supports it, with reservations, offering advice for how the dwindling number of pro-trade Democrats can soothe concerns about the pact.
“I supported granting the president trade authority. I support TPP. But I think we need to recognize that there’s going to be a lot more support for communities that have been adversely affected by trade and we need to do a lot better on trade enforcement,” Warner said. He called Britain's vote last month to exit the European Union a “wake-up call” for how voters view global trade.
TPP is the brightest flash point between Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters at the Democratic National Convention this week. “No TPP” signs are everywhere. But Warner, a centrist and self-described “pro-trade Democrat,” is not backing away from TPP despite Kaine’s flip and the clear movement against massive trade deals among members of the party’s base.
Warner said Congress should approve more money to help people displaced by the trade deal with Pacific nations, known as Trade Adjustment Assistance. He suggested a much broader outreach program for pro-trade Democrats to stay on the right side of voters.
“TPP is going to add $800 billion to $1 trillion to the economy; we need to do a lot more than the measly $4.5 billion for those who we have left behind,” Warner said. "Think about that: That’s less than half of 1 percent of the value being added to the economy."
The centrist Virginian refused to respond to McAuliffe’s comments on Tuesday night asserting that Clinton would push a revised TPP through Congress. The comments played into liberals’ worst fears that Clinton is running as an anti-TPP Democrat but would govern far differently.
“I’m not going to comment on Gov. McAuliffe's comments. What I will tell you is I’ve been a strong advocate for trade,” Warner said. “Those of us who advocate for trade need to acknowledge there’s been too many of us left behind.”
=============
What is not said?
No mention of the ISDS – Investor State Dispute Settlement which hands over judicial control of our country to an international court. The Canadian corporations who want the Keystone Pipeline are suing the US in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ISDS at the moment. We already lost our meat labeling because that court ruled that we violated the rights to a profit to corporations in Mexico and Canada with our country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) of meat law. In order to avoid billions of dollars in fines, our US Congress dismantled COOL.
The ISDS in the TPP is more powerful than the one in the WTO. The media scrupulously avoids talking about ISDS – there’s a reason for that. Our corporate masters, of whom Senator Warner appears to be a tool, want us to think of the TPP as a “trade agreement” when it is, in fact, a binding contract with transnational corporations including Monsanto (which helped write it) that empowers them to ramp up their exploitation of the resources of the planet, human and other.
For more information on the TPP – check out this page on my website: http://drpj.weebly.com/tpp.html
=============
Take action
Here is contact information for Senator Warner – please call his offices and discuss the ISDS with the staff person who answers the phone. Don’t just leave a message – talk to a person.
Washington, D.C.
475 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2023
Abingdon
180 West Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Phone Number: 276-628-8158
Norfolk
101 W. Main Street, Suite 7771
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone Number: 757-441-3079
Richmond
919 E. Main Street, Suite 630
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone Number: 804-775-2314
Vienna
8000 Towers Crescent Drive Suite 200
Vienna, Virginia 22182
Phone: 703-442-0670
Roanoke
110 Kirk Avenue SW
- Roanoke, VA 24011
Click HERE for Senator Warner's "contact" page to email:
Posted 7/15/16
Bernie said so so I did - CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT THE TPP!
The time has come to make a phone call about the TPP. Please do it NOW!
Talk to a person! Don’t just leave a message, unless that is your comfort level.
Be prepared to leave your name and your zip code to have your concerns taken the elected leader.
For the Democrats, mention that Hillary Clinton has taken a position in opposition to the TPP and that it is time for the Senator to join her and take a public position against the TPP. Reasons to oppose the TPP is include:
If you live in Virginia in CD1, all the work is done for you:
---------------
SENATORS:
U.S. Senator Timothy Kaine (Democrat)
231 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510
202-224-4024
http://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
What I learned:
Looking for extensive dialog with Virginians. No public position. Still gathering all the information.
---------------
U.S. Senator Mark Warner (Democrat)
475 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510
202-224-2023
http://www.warner.senate.gov
http://www.warner.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?p=ContactPage#form_f9db6196-2dc7-4cda-8add-f8435a71318a
What I learned:
No public statement strongly for or against; Generally, favors trade
---------------
REPRESENTATIVE FROM CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1:
Matt Rowe (Democrat) is running against Robert Wittman
https://www.facebook.com/MattRoweForCongress/
What I learned:
He has a Facebook campaign page and can be messaged that way.
He responded to a Facebook message to say "I do oppose the TPP. Contact him to thank him please!
---------------
U.S. Congressman Robert Wittman (Republican)
2454 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515
202-225-4261
https://wittman.house.gov
https://wittman.house.gov/contact-form/
What I learned:
OPPOSED TO THE TPP! Call to thank him if you like.
The time has come to make a phone call about the TPP. Please do it NOW!
Talk to a person! Don’t just leave a message, unless that is your comfort level.
Be prepared to leave your name and your zip code to have your concerns taken the elected leader.
For the Democrats, mention that Hillary Clinton has taken a position in opposition to the TPP and that it is time for the Senator to join her and take a public position against the TPP. Reasons to oppose the TPP is include:
- an enhanced Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) that empowers corporations to sue governments (national, state, municipal) for creating laws interfere with their right to make a profit. Examples of the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s ISDS include successful challenge to Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of meat and current suit based on canceling the Keystone Pipeline.
- Net neutrality will be imperiled
- Our workers will be competing for jobs among all the country-members of the trade agreement, including places where people earn $1-2 an hour
- Corporations will find it easier to build factories in places with weak environmental and worker protection standards and then ship the goods to the US with no impediment
If you live in Virginia in CD1, all the work is done for you:
---------------
SENATORS:
U.S. Senator Timothy Kaine (Democrat)
231 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510
202-224-4024
http://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
What I learned:
Looking for extensive dialog with Virginians. No public position. Still gathering all the information.
---------------
U.S. Senator Mark Warner (Democrat)
475 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510
202-224-2023
http://www.warner.senate.gov
http://www.warner.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?p=ContactPage#form_f9db6196-2dc7-4cda-8add-f8435a71318a
What I learned:
No public statement strongly for or against; Generally, favors trade
---------------
REPRESENTATIVE FROM CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1:
Matt Rowe (Democrat) is running against Robert Wittman
https://www.facebook.com/MattRoweForCongress/
What I learned:
He has a Facebook campaign page and can be messaged that way.
He responded to a Facebook message to say "I do oppose the TPP. Contact him to thank him please!
---------------
U.S. Congressman Robert Wittman (Republican)
2454 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515
202-225-4261
https://wittman.house.gov
https://wittman.house.gov/contact-form/
What I learned:
OPPOSED TO THE TPP! Call to thank him if you like.
Learn More About the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)
We’ve Had Enough With Failed Trade Policies by Mark Ruffalo (HuffPost 4/1/16)
"And if the TPP were approved, the Department of Energy would be required to automatically approve all natural gas exports to the 11 other TPP countries, eliminating our government’s ability to make decisions about our energy future and incentivizing a boom in dangerous fracking. The extreme secrecy of TPP negotiations allowed the Obama administration to claim it was the greenest deal ever. But when the TPP text was finally disclosed late last year, environmental groups that the White House claimed supported it, such as NRDC and Defenders of Wildlife, joined the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, 350.org and scores of others in opposition.
Consider just one feature that sounds like the plot of a disaster movie. The TPP would empower foreign investors to drag the U.S. government to private international arbitration tribunals whenever they claim that our environmental, energy or climate policies violate expansive new TPP foreign investor privileges. Corporations can demand unlimited taxpayer compensation based on future profits ostensibly thwarted by the policy. There is no outside appeal." ==================================================
The most dangerous aspect of the TPP is the ISDS provisions. Individuals who regularly represent transnational corporations will adjudicate cases where corporations sue US governmental entities for violating their right to make a profit. The recent decision by WTO to fine the US for our country-of-origin-labeling for meat has meant that our congress is now trying to dismantle that law. It is obvious to many Americans that with the power of the ISDS in the TPP, transnational corporations will interfere with our laws on a regular basis.
Monsanto, known as one of the most corrupt corporations on earth, can be counted on to pursue their goal of controlling the food supply, displacing crops that can be grown from the seeds saved from previous year's crops, with seed that can only be used once. Their Round-up Ready GMO seeds require the application of poisons that are destroying our biosphere. The negative impact on the environment is causing degradation of the quality of life and the health of our citizens, who are already struggling economically from the effects of the previous trade deal, NAFTA. The TPP is NAFTA on steroids, and Citizens United on steroids. NO TPP!
"And if the TPP were approved, the Department of Energy would be required to automatically approve all natural gas exports to the 11 other TPP countries, eliminating our government’s ability to make decisions about our energy future and incentivizing a boom in dangerous fracking. The extreme secrecy of TPP negotiations allowed the Obama administration to claim it was the greenest deal ever. But when the TPP text was finally disclosed late last year, environmental groups that the White House claimed supported it, such as NRDC and Defenders of Wildlife, joined the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, 350.org and scores of others in opposition.
Consider just one feature that sounds like the plot of a disaster movie. The TPP would empower foreign investors to drag the U.S. government to private international arbitration tribunals whenever they claim that our environmental, energy or climate policies violate expansive new TPP foreign investor privileges. Corporations can demand unlimited taxpayer compensation based on future profits ostensibly thwarted by the policy. There is no outside appeal." ==================================================
- Click HERE for Bernie Sanders Call for Action on the TPP.
- The Trans-Pacific Trade (TPP) Agreement Must be Defeated by Senator Bernie Sanders
- 8 Terrible Things About the Trans-Pacific Partnership
The most dangerous aspect of the TPP is the ISDS provisions. Individuals who regularly represent transnational corporations will adjudicate cases where corporations sue US governmental entities for violating their right to make a profit. The recent decision by WTO to fine the US for our country-of-origin-labeling for meat has meant that our congress is now trying to dismantle that law. It is obvious to many Americans that with the power of the ISDS in the TPP, transnational corporations will interfere with our laws on a regular basis.
Monsanto, known as one of the most corrupt corporations on earth, can be counted on to pursue their goal of controlling the food supply, displacing crops that can be grown from the seeds saved from previous year's crops, with seed that can only be used once. Their Round-up Ready GMO seeds require the application of poisons that are destroying our biosphere. The negative impact on the environment is causing degradation of the quality of life and the health of our citizens, who are already struggling economically from the effects of the previous trade deal, NAFTA. The TPP is NAFTA on steroids, and Citizens United on steroids. NO TPP!
What Tool Is Being Used by Transnational Corporations to Control Governmental Decisions? Preemption!
[And How Bernie Sanders Is on the Side of the People]
What is preemption?
The quick answer is that preemption is the power of a higher level of governmental body to override the ability of a lower level of government to make laws. According to the on-line Merriam-Webster Dictionary, preemption is “a doctrine in law according to which federal law supersedes state law when federal law is in conflict with a state law [or] a policy of launching a preemptive attack in order to prevent a suspected imminent attack.” The concept of “states’ rights” has been used as a defense against preemption by the federal government over a state’s laws.
Leaked text from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) revealed the inclusion of an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) that would allow foreign companies to challenge U.S. laws at an international arbitration board with the power to level millions and even billions of dollars in damages against cities, counties, states, or the federal government. The judges on this court of no appeals would be stocked with highly paid corporate lawyers; corporations can sue for loss of “expected future profits” that a law might impede. ISDS arbitration has already been used by corporations to halt raising the minimum wage in Egypt, the reduction of nuclear power in Germany, and the implementation of tobacco regulations in Uruguay.
For a more comprehensive analysis of preemption, click on this LINK to check out the on-line Legal Dictionary article on the topic.
Why should you care about preemption?
At the state level, transnational corporations including Monsanto are using preemption to circumvent local control of GMO agriculture. Nestle has set its sights on control of water supplies so they can bottle it in single-use plastic containers and ship it around the world; preemption is a tool Nestle can use to bypass the needs and desires of local communities to have access to local water supplies. State level preemption is facilitated by the so-called DARK Act, which makes it illegal for a state to legislate GMO labeling of food or restrict GMO crop production.
At the national level, preemption is currently imposed by The World Trade Organization (WTO). The TPP would further empower international preemption of national laws.
How is preemption being used?
Clean Air Act – In 1993, the United States rolled back U.S. Clean Air Act regulations on gasoline cleanliness standards after they were successfully challenged by Venezuela and Mexico at the international General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor to the WTO.
The quick answer is that preemption is the power of a higher level of governmental body to override the ability of a lower level of government to make laws. According to the on-line Merriam-Webster Dictionary, preemption is “a doctrine in law according to which federal law supersedes state law when federal law is in conflict with a state law [or] a policy of launching a preemptive attack in order to prevent a suspected imminent attack.” The concept of “states’ rights” has been used as a defense against preemption by the federal government over a state’s laws.
Leaked text from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) revealed the inclusion of an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) that would allow foreign companies to challenge U.S. laws at an international arbitration board with the power to level millions and even billions of dollars in damages against cities, counties, states, or the federal government. The judges on this court of no appeals would be stocked with highly paid corporate lawyers; corporations can sue for loss of “expected future profits” that a law might impede. ISDS arbitration has already been used by corporations to halt raising the minimum wage in Egypt, the reduction of nuclear power in Germany, and the implementation of tobacco regulations in Uruguay.
For a more comprehensive analysis of preemption, click on this LINK to check out the on-line Legal Dictionary article on the topic.
Why should you care about preemption?
At the state level, transnational corporations including Monsanto are using preemption to circumvent local control of GMO agriculture. Nestle has set its sights on control of water supplies so they can bottle it in single-use plastic containers and ship it around the world; preemption is a tool Nestle can use to bypass the needs and desires of local communities to have access to local water supplies. State level preemption is facilitated by the so-called DARK Act, which makes it illegal for a state to legislate GMO labeling of food or restrict GMO crop production.
At the national level, preemption is currently imposed by The World Trade Organization (WTO). The TPP would further empower international preemption of national laws.
How is preemption being used?
Clean Air Act – In 1993, the United States rolled back U.S. Clean Air Act regulations on gasoline cleanliness standards after they were successfully challenged by Venezuela and Mexico at the international General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor to the WTO.
Fuel Efficiency – in 1994, The U.S. altered auto fuel efficiency Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that were successfully challenged by the European Union at GATT.
Pharmaceutical Patents – With the 1995 Fast Tracked legislation that implemented the WTO came the implementation of a patent extension sought by pharmaceutical interests that consumer groups had successfully defeated for decades. The Uruguay Round Agreements Act amended the U.S. patent law to provide a 20-year monopoly – replacing the 17-year term in U.S. law and increasing medicine prices by billions of dollars.
Bechtel’s Privatization of Water – In 1997, the World Bank forced Bolivia to privatize its water development in La Paz and Cochabamba. Bechtel won the contract in a secret process where they were the only bidder. Within a few weeks, Bechtel’s company raised water rates by an average of more than 50%, sparking a citywide rebellion that has come to be known as the Cochabamba Water Revolt. In April 2000, following a declaration of martial law by the President, the army killing of a seventeen-year-old boy, and more than a hundred wounded, the citizens of Cochabamba refused to back down and Bechtel was forced to leave Bolivia. Bechtel then filed a $50 million dollar lawsuit with the World Bank but after years of protests, they dropped their lawsuit.
Sea Turtles– In 1998, the WTO forced modifications to the U.S. Endangered Species Act rules relating to shrimping techniques that kill sea turtles after a successful challenge by Malaysia and other nations.
Pharmaceutical Patents – With the 1995 Fast Tracked legislation that implemented the WTO came the implementation of a patent extension sought by pharmaceutical interests that consumer groups had successfully defeated for decades. The Uruguay Round Agreements Act amended the U.S. patent law to provide a 20-year monopoly – replacing the 17-year term in U.S. law and increasing medicine prices by billions of dollars.
Bechtel’s Privatization of Water – In 1997, the World Bank forced Bolivia to privatize its water development in La Paz and Cochabamba. Bechtel won the contract in a secret process where they were the only bidder. Within a few weeks, Bechtel’s company raised water rates by an average of more than 50%, sparking a citywide rebellion that has come to be known as the Cochabamba Water Revolt. In April 2000, following a declaration of martial law by the President, the army killing of a seventeen-year-old boy, and more than a hundred wounded, the citizens of Cochabamba refused to back down and Bechtel was forced to leave Bolivia. Bechtel then filed a $50 million dollar lawsuit with the World Bank but after years of protests, they dropped their lawsuit.
Sea Turtles– In 1998, the WTO forced modifications to the U.S. Endangered Species Act rules relating to shrimping techniques that kill sea turtles after a successful challenge by Malaysia and other nations.
Nestlé's Privatization of Water – Around the world, Nestlé has been working to privatize and control public water resources. In 2005, Nestlé's Chairman of the Board, Peter Brabeck, famously explained his views "The one opinion, which I think is extreme, is represented by the NGOs, who bang on about declaring water a public right. That means as a human being you should have a right to water. That’s an extreme solution."
The remark was widely criticized and Brabeck has backtracked, but his company, Nestlé, has not. Around the world, Nestlé is forcing communities into giving up control of their water. In California they continued to pull water out of the ground to produce single-use plastic containers of water while agriculture and citizens were on serious water rationing. They managed to do this legally because their pumps here on reservation land. In Oregon, Nestle has been trying to build a 250,000 facility in Cascade Locks to extract 118 million gallons of water a year from Oxbow Springs to sell at a profit in single-use plastic containers. State environmentalists has fought the project since 2008; in order to get their hands on the water, Nestlé will need to convince the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to trade water rights from the Herman Creek aquifer. All this to sell something that people should not be using in the first place – single-use disposable bottles of water that is no better than tap water anywhere in the country. (For more information about where those empty plastic bottles end up Google “garbage gyre.”)
The remark was widely criticized and Brabeck has backtracked, but his company, Nestlé, has not. Around the world, Nestlé is forcing communities into giving up control of their water. In California they continued to pull water out of the ground to produce single-use plastic containers of water while agriculture and citizens were on serious water rationing. They managed to do this legally because their pumps here on reservation land. In Oregon, Nestle has been trying to build a 250,000 facility in Cascade Locks to extract 118 million gallons of water a year from Oxbow Springs to sell at a profit in single-use plastic containers. State environmentalists has fought the project since 2008; in order to get their hands on the water, Nestlé will need to convince the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to trade water rights from the Herman Creek aquifer. All this to sell something that people should not be using in the first place – single-use disposable bottles of water that is no better than tap water anywhere in the country. (For more information about where those empty plastic bottles end up Google “garbage gyre.”)
Dolphin-safe Tuna – In May 2012, the WTO ruled against voluntary “dolphin-safe” tuna labels. These labels had allowed consumers to choose to buy tuna caught without dolphin-killing fishing practices and this helped to dramatically reduce dolphin deaths.
National Monsanto Protection Act – In Spring of 2013, the so-called “Monsanto Protection Act” was slipped into the spending bill that President Obama signed. Many legislators had no idea this language was in the must-pass budget bill, as there were no hearings on the topic, but President Obama was well aware of it by the time he signed the bill into law – Food Democracy Now gathered over 200,000 signatures objecting to it and protestors demonstrated in front of the White House for days. The bill, written by Monsanto in collusion with Senator Roy Blunt (Republican-Missouri), effectively barred “federal courts from being able to halt the sale or planting of GMO or GE crops and seeds, no matter what health consequences from the consumption of these products may come to light in the future.”
State Monsanto Protection Act – In October of 2013, Oregon passed a Monsanto Protection Act that was slipped into a completely unrelated emergency-session bill-package relating to educational funding. The bill was thought to have been written by GMO, pesticide and aerial spray industries including Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta, and preempted the GMO banning law that was to be voted on in Jackson County.
Mexican Trucking in the U.S. – In January 2015, after losing a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) challenge and being threatened with sanctions on more than two billion in U.S. trade, the Obama administration announced it would allow long haul trucks from Mexico on all U.S. highways. Consumer groups warned that the trucks pose significant safety threats, while environmental groups warned that they do not meet U.S. emissions standards.
State Monsanto Protection Act – In October of 2013, Oregon passed a Monsanto Protection Act that was slipped into a completely unrelated emergency-session bill-package relating to educational funding. The bill was thought to have been written by GMO, pesticide and aerial spray industries including Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta, and preempted the GMO banning law that was to be voted on in Jackson County.
Mexican Trucking in the U.S. – In January 2015, after losing a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) challenge and being threatened with sanctions on more than two billion in U.S. trade, the Obama administration announced it would allow long haul trucks from Mexico on all U.S. highways. Consumer groups warned that the trucks pose significant safety threats, while environmental groups warned that they do not meet U.S. emissions standards.
Meat Labeling – In May of 2015, the WTO Appellate Body (a transnational court) ruled that the U.S. must abandon country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) labeling of pork and beef sold in the U.S. or face trade sanctions. NAFTA put the trade agreement in place; the WTO adjudicates complaints of violations of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico trade agreement.
90% of Americans support country-of-origin-labeling; consumers want to know where the meat is born, raised, and slaughtered. The Appellate Body decided that the U.S. COOL policy constitutes a technical barrier to trade, creating less favorable treatment to cattle and hog imports from Canada and Mexico. The ruling is not subject to further appeal.
The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Michael Conaway, called for swift action. "It is more important now than ever to act quickly to avoid a protracted trade war with our two largest trade partners," he said.
90% of Americans support country-of-origin-labeling; consumers want to know where the meat is born, raised, and slaughtered. The Appellate Body decided that the U.S. COOL policy constitutes a technical barrier to trade, creating less favorable treatment to cattle and hog imports from Canada and Mexico. The ruling is not subject to further appeal.
The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Michael Conaway, called for swift action. "It is more important now than ever to act quickly to avoid a protracted trade war with our two largest trade partners," he said.
DARK Act – In July of 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Safe and Accurate Food Labelling Act of 2015. In an unusual move, a procedural amendment following the passage of the bill was offered by Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., to rename the bill the Deny Americans the Right to Know Act, or the DARK Act. It was voted down.
The DARK Act would vacate state GMO labeling, making labeling voluntary only. It would preempt Vermont’s labeling law, set to go into effect in 2016, as well as the GMO labeling laws in Connecticut and Maine that are only enacted if other states join the labeling movement. The bill is being promoted by the lobbying group Coalition for Safe Affordable Food; Monsanto is one well-heeled member. Around 90% of Americans favor mandatory GMO labels on food. The Senate will vote on it soon.
The DARK Act would vacate state GMO labeling, making labeling voluntary only. It would preempt Vermont’s labeling law, set to go into effect in 2016, as well as the GMO labeling laws in Connecticut and Maine that are only enacted if other states join the labeling movement. The bill is being promoted by the lobbying group Coalition for Safe Affordable Food; Monsanto is one well-heeled member. Around 90% of Americans favor mandatory GMO labels on food. The Senate will vote on it soon.
Where Does Bernie Sanders Stand?
Bernie Sanders helped lead the fight against NAFTA. He has called the TPP “a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy,”
In 2013, Bernie Sanders introduced legislation that would require food labeling for products with genetically engineered ingredients. “People have a right to know what is in the food they’re eating,” said Sanders. “You have deregulated the GMO industry from court oversight, which is really not what America is about,” said Sanders. The legislation did not pass.
Bernie Sanders has a consistent voting record in support of preserving the environment and is rated 90% by the League of Conservation Voters as well as earning a 100% rating by the Humane Society Human Scorecard which tracks pro-animal welfare voting records.
In March 2015, he voted against a budget amendment that would have prohibited placing limits on exercising water rights as a condition for using or developing public lands. Notably, this law makes drought crises, such as those in California, much worse by prohibiting setting limits on the usage of water. A couple months later, Bernie spoke out against drilling in the Chukchi Sea, which the Department of Interior estimated could have a 75 percent chance of a large oil spill.
Most importantly, Bernie Sanders is not a tool of the transnational corporations that corrupt politicians in a mindless, soulless, heartless pursuit of profit. Monsanto is not donating to Bernie Sanders. Monsanto IS supporting Hillary Clinton; one of Clinton’s chief fundraising “bundlers” is Jerry Crawford, a lobbyist for Monsanto. Monsanto is Crawford's only lobbying client dating back to at least 2009.
What Can You Do?
Bloomberg Politics – Lobby Lobbyists for Monsanto, ExxonMobil Raise Money for Hillary Clinton; Registered lobbyists brought in more than $2 million in fundraising for the Clinton campaign, recent filings show.
CNBC – GMOs: Congress may block states from requiring labeling
CNN “The Lead” by Jake Tapper – Millions protest genetically modified food, Monsanto, organizers say
Common Dreams – WTO Ruling on Meat Labels Exemplifies Corporate Profits Trumping Democracy
Democracy Center – Bechtel vs Bolivia: Details of the Case and the Campaign
Farm Futures – House approves voluntary GMO labeling bill, H.R. 1599
Feel the Bern – Bernie Sanders on Environmental Protection
International Business Times – Furor Growing against Obama Over 'Monsanto Protection Act'
International Business Times – 'Monsanto Protection Act': 5 Terrifying Things To Know About The HR 933 Provision
KGW News – Nestle bottled water plant in the Gorge: Where it stands
On The Issues – Bernie Sanders on Environment
Public Citizen – WTO Orders U.S. to Gut U.S. Consumer Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling Policy, Further Complicating Obama Fast Track Push
Reuters – U.S. loses meat labeling case; trade war looms
Senate.gov – Senator Bernie Sanders: The Trans-Pacific Trade (TPP) agreement must be defeated
Take Part – State-Level 'Monsanto Protection Act' Passes in Oregon
The Hill – WTO shoots down US meat-labeling rule
The Story of Stuff Project – Nestlé's water privatization push
The Washington Post “Opinion” – The Trans-Pacific Partnership clause everyone should oppose by Senator Elizabeth Warren
WikiLeaks – Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) - Investment Chapter
Bernie Sanders helped lead the fight against NAFTA. He has called the TPP “a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy,”
In 2013, Bernie Sanders introduced legislation that would require food labeling for products with genetically engineered ingredients. “People have a right to know what is in the food they’re eating,” said Sanders. “You have deregulated the GMO industry from court oversight, which is really not what America is about,” said Sanders. The legislation did not pass.
Bernie Sanders has a consistent voting record in support of preserving the environment and is rated 90% by the League of Conservation Voters as well as earning a 100% rating by the Humane Society Human Scorecard which tracks pro-animal welfare voting records.
In March 2015, he voted against a budget amendment that would have prohibited placing limits on exercising water rights as a condition for using or developing public lands. Notably, this law makes drought crises, such as those in California, much worse by prohibiting setting limits on the usage of water. A couple months later, Bernie spoke out against drilling in the Chukchi Sea, which the Department of Interior estimated could have a 75 percent chance of a large oil spill.
Most importantly, Bernie Sanders is not a tool of the transnational corporations that corrupt politicians in a mindless, soulless, heartless pursuit of profit. Monsanto is not donating to Bernie Sanders. Monsanto IS supporting Hillary Clinton; one of Clinton’s chief fundraising “bundlers” is Jerry Crawford, a lobbyist for Monsanto. Monsanto is Crawford's only lobbying client dating back to at least 2009.
What Can You Do?
- Get involved.
- Start by going to the Bernie Sanders 2016 webpage https://berniesanders.com/ and learn more about him.
- Then click the “Volunteer” button and help elect Bernie Sanders president!
- The New York Times reported on the recently resolved TPP agreement: Trans-Pacific Partnership Is Reached, but Faces Scrutiny in Congress
- Learn more about the Community Rights Movement: Corporate “Rights” and State Preemption
- Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) offers Democracy Schools to become more active in Community Rights in your area: Democracy School
Bloomberg Politics – Lobby Lobbyists for Monsanto, ExxonMobil Raise Money for Hillary Clinton; Registered lobbyists brought in more than $2 million in fundraising for the Clinton campaign, recent filings show.
CNBC – GMOs: Congress may block states from requiring labeling
CNN “The Lead” by Jake Tapper – Millions protest genetically modified food, Monsanto, organizers say
Common Dreams – WTO Ruling on Meat Labels Exemplifies Corporate Profits Trumping Democracy
Democracy Center – Bechtel vs Bolivia: Details of the Case and the Campaign
Farm Futures – House approves voluntary GMO labeling bill, H.R. 1599
Feel the Bern – Bernie Sanders on Environmental Protection
International Business Times – Furor Growing against Obama Over 'Monsanto Protection Act'
International Business Times – 'Monsanto Protection Act': 5 Terrifying Things To Know About The HR 933 Provision
KGW News – Nestle bottled water plant in the Gorge: Where it stands
On The Issues – Bernie Sanders on Environment
Public Citizen – WTO Orders U.S. to Gut U.S. Consumer Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling Policy, Further Complicating Obama Fast Track Push
Reuters – U.S. loses meat labeling case; trade war looms
Senate.gov – Senator Bernie Sanders: The Trans-Pacific Trade (TPP) agreement must be defeated
Take Part – State-Level 'Monsanto Protection Act' Passes in Oregon
The Hill – WTO shoots down US meat-labeling rule
The Story of Stuff Project – Nestlé's water privatization push
The Washington Post “Opinion” – The Trans-Pacific Partnership clause everyone should oppose by Senator Elizabeth Warren
WikiLeaks – Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) - Investment Chapter
GUEST VIEWPOINT - Help Merkley, DeFazio stop TPP in its tracks
By Shelley Pineo-Jensen
For The Register-Guard JUNE 11, 2015
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps elected representatives who favor the Trans-Pacific Partnership have good intentions, but I doubt it — it’s more likely that the bobsled to hell is paved with influence peddling. The TPP will cede national, state and local control of environmental and labor regulations to transnational corporations.
An International Business Times poll found that 62 percent of Americans opposed Trade Promotion Authority, or fast track — the legislative process that would grease the skids for congressional approval of the TPP — with 43 percent “strongly” opposing it. Eighty-five percent of moderate and conservative Republicans opposed fast track. One of the top concerns was that it’s unfair to expect U.S. workers to compete with a flood of imports made under conditions less costly to employers.
In response to widespread criticism of the secrecy surrounding the TPP, the trade deal will now be available to the public for two months before the president signs it. This claim that the TPP process is now transparent ironically sends the message that no matter what the American public thinks about the TPP, the president is going to sign it.
Key players who will benefit from the TPP include tobacco companies such as Philip Morris, fossil fuel companies such as Exxon, financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, military-industrial profiteers such as Halliburton, makers of genetically modified organisms such as Monsanto, lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable, polluters such as PPG industries, agribusinesses such as Cargill, and companies that exploit workers such as Wal-Mart and Nike. These power players are spending a fortune to corrupt our public officials, and they are succeeding.
Oregon has two members of Congress who represent the people and not corporate masters. If you are still uncertain about the TPP, read Rep. Peter DeFazio’s column in the April 10 Register-Guard, or watch the YouTube video of Sen. Jeff Merkley’s floor speech, in which he said, “The trade agreement would undermine U.S. sovereignty by allowing foreign countries to challenge American laws.” DeFazio and Merkley are joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in strongly opposing the TPP in its current form, as well as the fast track process. They are not lying, and they are not mistaken.
But Oregon’s members of Congress who support the TPP are not confused or uninformed. They are tools. They serve the interests of corporations instead of fighting for human beings and life on the planet.
Rep. Greg Walden supports the Keystone XL Pipeline and privatization of Social Security. He strongly opposes taxes on the wealthy, protections for clean air and water, and funding for green energy. It is no surprise he supports the TPP.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer was thought to be a strong environmentalist, but he mysteriously dropped his advocacy for the environment to follow Sen. Ron Wyden’s lead and support the TPP and fast track.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has increased her net worth by more than $2 million since her election to Congress in 2012, an annual increase of 52 percent. Her district is home to Nike, a key advocate of the TPP, which claims a global workforce of more than 800,000, of whom 6,625 are Oregonians — less than 1 percent. Nike extracted massive tax concessions from Oregon before it would agree to keep some of its operations in the state. Rep. Kurt Schrader supports the Keystone XL Pipeline, and reasoned that since the current version of the TPP is better than the older one, he will support it. He has fallen in step with Wyden.
And then there’s Wyden, whose estimated wealth in 2010 was $6.8 million, a 365 percent increase since 2004. He has received large campaign donations from Akin Gump, the lobbyist who successfully represented Monsanto in its U.S. Supreme Court seed patent case. Environmentalists, labor activists and community rights advocates have been petitioning Wyden for years to stop supporting the TPP. He isn’t listening; his true constituency lies elsewhere.
These legislators disingenuously point to improvements in the TPP to justify their support, instead of acknowledging the real dangers of the trade pact. First and foremost is the lack of transparency; the only reason we even know what is in it is because brave individuals have shared the documents with WikiLeaks. The leaked passages reveal a massive handover of national rights to corporations
What can you do? Call, write, text or visit your representatives in Congress. We have the power to halt the voracious consumption of resources in the service of profit; there are more of us than there are of them. We can save our beautiful planet — or, more precisely, the biosphere that supports all life. At least it’s worth a try.
Shelly Pineo-Jensen, a retired public school teacher and union leader, blogs at drpj.weebly.com/tpp.
By Shelley Pineo-Jensen
For The Register-Guard JUNE 11, 2015
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps elected representatives who favor the Trans-Pacific Partnership have good intentions, but I doubt it — it’s more likely that the bobsled to hell is paved with influence peddling. The TPP will cede national, state and local control of environmental and labor regulations to transnational corporations.
An International Business Times poll found that 62 percent of Americans opposed Trade Promotion Authority, or fast track — the legislative process that would grease the skids for congressional approval of the TPP — with 43 percent “strongly” opposing it. Eighty-five percent of moderate and conservative Republicans opposed fast track. One of the top concerns was that it’s unfair to expect U.S. workers to compete with a flood of imports made under conditions less costly to employers.
In response to widespread criticism of the secrecy surrounding the TPP, the trade deal will now be available to the public for two months before the president signs it. This claim that the TPP process is now transparent ironically sends the message that no matter what the American public thinks about the TPP, the president is going to sign it.
Key players who will benefit from the TPP include tobacco companies such as Philip Morris, fossil fuel companies such as Exxon, financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, military-industrial profiteers such as Halliburton, makers of genetically modified organisms such as Monsanto, lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable, polluters such as PPG industries, agribusinesses such as Cargill, and companies that exploit workers such as Wal-Mart and Nike. These power players are spending a fortune to corrupt our public officials, and they are succeeding.
Oregon has two members of Congress who represent the people and not corporate masters. If you are still uncertain about the TPP, read Rep. Peter DeFazio’s column in the April 10 Register-Guard, or watch the YouTube video of Sen. Jeff Merkley’s floor speech, in which he said, “The trade agreement would undermine U.S. sovereignty by allowing foreign countries to challenge American laws.” DeFazio and Merkley are joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in strongly opposing the TPP in its current form, as well as the fast track process. They are not lying, and they are not mistaken.
But Oregon’s members of Congress who support the TPP are not confused or uninformed. They are tools. They serve the interests of corporations instead of fighting for human beings and life on the planet.
Rep. Greg Walden supports the Keystone XL Pipeline and privatization of Social Security. He strongly opposes taxes on the wealthy, protections for clean air and water, and funding for green energy. It is no surprise he supports the TPP.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer was thought to be a strong environmentalist, but he mysteriously dropped his advocacy for the environment to follow Sen. Ron Wyden’s lead and support the TPP and fast track.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has increased her net worth by more than $2 million since her election to Congress in 2012, an annual increase of 52 percent. Her district is home to Nike, a key advocate of the TPP, which claims a global workforce of more than 800,000, of whom 6,625 are Oregonians — less than 1 percent. Nike extracted massive tax concessions from Oregon before it would agree to keep some of its operations in the state. Rep. Kurt Schrader supports the Keystone XL Pipeline, and reasoned that since the current version of the TPP is better than the older one, he will support it. He has fallen in step with Wyden.
And then there’s Wyden, whose estimated wealth in 2010 was $6.8 million, a 365 percent increase since 2004. He has received large campaign donations from Akin Gump, the lobbyist who successfully represented Monsanto in its U.S. Supreme Court seed patent case. Environmentalists, labor activists and community rights advocates have been petitioning Wyden for years to stop supporting the TPP. He isn’t listening; his true constituency lies elsewhere.
These legislators disingenuously point to improvements in the TPP to justify their support, instead of acknowledging the real dangers of the trade pact. First and foremost is the lack of transparency; the only reason we even know what is in it is because brave individuals have shared the documents with WikiLeaks. The leaked passages reveal a massive handover of national rights to corporations
What can you do? Call, write, text or visit your representatives in Congress. We have the power to halt the voracious consumption of resources in the service of profit; there are more of us than there are of them. We can save our beautiful planet — or, more precisely, the biosphere that supports all life. At least it’s worth a try.
Shelly Pineo-Jensen, a retired public school teacher and union leader, blogs at drpj.weebly.com/tpp.
SHORT LIST OF REPLACEMENTS FOR WYDEN WITH LINKS:
Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler
Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian
Oregon U.S. Congressional Delegation Contact Information
REPRESENTATIVES:
439 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-0855 www.house.gov/bonamici/ District Office 12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 220, Beaverton 97005 503-469-6010 Toll-free: 800-422-4003
2182 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-6730 www.walden.house.gov District Offices Bend: Jamison Bldg., 1051 NW Bond St., Suite 400, Bend 97701 541-389-4408 La Grande: 1211 Washington Ave., La Grande 97850 541-624-2400 Medford: 14 N Central Ave., Suite 112, Medford 97501 541-776-4646
1111 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4811 http://blumenauer.house.gov District Office 729 NE Oregon, Suite 115, Portland 97232 503-231-2300 |
2134 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-6416 www.defazio.house.gov/ District Offices Coos Bay: 125 Central Ave., Rm. 350, Coos Bay 97420 541-269-2609 Eugene: 405 E 8th Ave., Suite 2030, Eugene 97401 541-465-6732 Toll-free: 800-944-9603 Roseburg: 612 SE Jackson, Rm. 9, Roseburg 97470 541-440-3523
2431 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-5711 http://schrader.house.gov District Offices Oregon City: 621 High St., Oregon City 97045 503-557-1324 Salem: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem 97301 503-588-9100 Toll Free: 877-301-KURT (5878) |
SENATORS:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510-3703 202-224-5244 http://wyden.senate.gov District Offices Bend: Jamison Bldg., 131 NW Hawthorne Ave., Suite 107, Bend 97701 541-330-9142 Eugene: Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse, 405 E 8th Ave., Suite 2020, Eugene 97401 541-431-0229 La Grande: Sac Annex Bldg., 105 Fir St., Suite 201, La Grande 97850 541-962-7691 Medford: The Federal Courthouse, 310 W 6th St., Rm. 118, Medford 97501 541-858-5122 Portland: 911 NE 11th Ave., Suite 630, Portland 97232 503-326-7525 Salem: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem 97301 503-589-4555 |
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510 202-224-3753 www.merkley.senate.gov District Offices Bend: 131 NW Hawthorne Ave., Suite 208, Bend 97701 541-318-1298 Eugene: 405 E 8th Ave., Suite 2010, Eugene 97401 541-465-6750 Medford: 10 S Bartlett St., Suite 201, Medford 97501 541-608-9102 Pendleton: 310 SE Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton 97801 541-278-1129 Portland: One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1400, Portland 97204 503-326-3386 Salem: 495 State St., Suite 330, Salem 97301 503-362-8102 |
LINKS FOR ACTION
Recall Wyden op-ed in the Register Guard. Please click like and share. If you have time - leave a comment.Join and get informative updates on your Facebook page.
Learn more about the efforts to recall Senator Wyden and why it is important.
Get more involved. Stand up against the transnational corporations who seek to control the resources of the world
Recall Wyden op-ed in the Register Guard. Please click like and share. If you have time - leave a comment.Join and get informative updates on your Facebook page.
Learn more about the efforts to recall Senator Wyden and why it is important.
Get more involved. Stand up against the transnational corporations who seek to control the resources of the world
ALEC
GREAT investigative report on ALEC - where corporate lobbyists meet legislators and bills are created - the public is NOT welcome to watch.
GREAT investigative report on ALEC - where corporate lobbyists meet legislators and bills are created - the public is NOT welcome to watch.
TPP Transparency
Senator Wyden has long claimed to support transparency in trade negotiations, but his bipartisan bill does not accomplish that. Rather, Fast Track would be approved and after all the negotiations for the TPP were completed, the deal would be made public for 60 days before the president signed it and sent it to congress for an up or down vote. We, the people, would get 60 days to analyse and respond to a deal that has been in negotiations, in secret, for ten years. Multinational corporations like Monsanto are privy to the contents of the TTP.
Elizabeth Warren tried in vain to introduce a bill on TPP transparency.
S.1381 — A bill to require the President to make the text of trade agreements available to the public in order for those agreements to receive expedited consideration from Congress.
Senator Wyden has long claimed to support transparency in trade negotiations, but his bipartisan bill does not accomplish that. Rather, Fast Track would be approved and after all the negotiations for the TPP were completed, the deal would be made public for 60 days before the president signed it and sent it to congress for an up or down vote. We, the people, would get 60 days to analyse and respond to a deal that has been in negotiations, in secret, for ten years. Multinational corporations like Monsanto are privy to the contents of the TTP.
Elizabeth Warren tried in vain to introduce a bill on TPP transparency.
S.1381 — A bill to require the President to make the text of trade agreements available to the public in order for those agreements to receive expedited consideration from Congress.
Who Opposes the TPP
Senator Elizabeth Warren reasoned, “If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Polling data shows that both Democrats and Republics are opposed to fast track of the TPP:
On the question of fast-track authority, 62 percent of respondent opposed the idea, with 43 percent “strongly” opposing it. Broken down by political affiliation, only Democrats that identify as “liberal” strongly favor the idea. Predictably, a strong Republican majority oppose giving the president such authority, with both conservative and moderates oppose it by a ratio of 85 percent or higher. And perhaps most important: 66 percent of respondents who identified as independent, meaning they have no party affiliation and are a key voting constituency, oppose the idea.
Among the biggest concerns by respondents for opposing fast-track authority was that they felt it gives the president too much power. But interestingly enough, the second strongest concern among respondents was that workers in TPP countries are paid so little that it’s unfair to U.S. workers to expect them to compete with a flood of imports made under less costly conditions to employers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More links:
Senator Elizabeth Warren reasoned, “If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Polling data shows that both Democrats and Republics are opposed to fast track of the TPP:
On the question of fast-track authority, 62 percent of respondent opposed the idea, with 43 percent “strongly” opposing it. Broken down by political affiliation, only Democrats that identify as “liberal” strongly favor the idea. Predictably, a strong Republican majority oppose giving the president such authority, with both conservative and moderates oppose it by a ratio of 85 percent or higher. And perhaps most important: 66 percent of respondents who identified as independent, meaning they have no party affiliation and are a key voting constituency, oppose the idea.
Among the biggest concerns by respondents for opposing fast-track authority was that they felt it gives the president too much power. But interestingly enough, the second strongest concern among respondents was that workers in TPP countries are paid so little that it’s unfair to U.S. workers to expect them to compete with a flood of imports made under less costly conditions to employers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More links:
WHO BENEFITS FROM THE TPP
Transnational corporations are the beneficiaries of the TPP. While calling themselves "U.S. Business Coalition, most are multi-national corporations, many are engaged in the exploitation of workers around the world, always looking for ways to make the greatest profit. It is the fiduciary responsibility of a publicly held corporation to produce profit for shareholders, regardless of effects on the environment or workers.
LEGISLATORS WHO SUPPORT THE TPP
The Skinny on Representative Walden
A Politifact.com article gives Walden "mostly false" rating on his claim that Keystone will create 20,000 American Jobs.
A Politifact.com article gives Walden "mostly false" rating on his claim that Keystone will create 20,000 American Jobs.
The Skinny on Senator Wyden
AKIN GUMP REPORT ON THEIR SUCCESSFUL REPRESENTATION OF MONSANTO
Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Patent Rights on Readily Replicable Products
Intellectual Property Alert
May 15, 2013
On Monday, May 13, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that patent exhaustion does not permit a farmer to make new versions of patented seeds through planting and harvesting purchased seeds without the patent holder’s permission (Bowman v. Monsanto Company et al., No. 11-796; S. Ct.). The decision is a conclusive victory for Monsanto, whose patents on Roundup Ready transgenic seeds have withstood attacks from farmers for more than a decade.
Monsanto licenses its herbicide resistant soybeans to seed producers who, in turn, sublicense them to farmers under the terms of a licensing agreement. The license limits a farmer’s planting of seeds to a single season, but the Roundup Ready trait is inherited by each successive generation of seed produced by the farmer. Monsanto claimed that farmers, like Indiana soybean farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman, violate the license agreement and infringe Monsanto’s patents by planting second-generation seeds that were either harvested from the original, purchased seeds or purchased as commodity seed from a grain elevator.
Bowman invoked the defense of patent exhaustion, which traditionally restricts a patent owner’s rights to control the use of a patented product after the first, authorized sale of that particular product into commerce. See Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc., 553 U. S. 617, 625 (2008). The Supreme Court took the case to determine if the patent exhaustion analysis changes in those cases where the patent covers a purportedly “self-replicating product.” The Court ruled, without dissent, that the Patent Act’s traditional protection against unauthorized making of patented articles fully applies to patented products that are self-replicating. The Court further validated the use of license agreements to protect patented products that are susceptible to ready replication, and even holding that license limitations may be implied into a sale. (Slip op. at 6 n.3)
The Court finally noted that “self-replicating product[s] *** are becoming ever more prevalent, complex, and diverse.” (Slip op. at 10) The Court accordingly reserved, for a later day, questions concerning the patent’s protection for “self-replication [that] might occur outside the purchaser’s control” or that “might be a necessary but incidental step in using the item for another purpose.” Id. In this case, however, “Bowman planted Monsanto’s patented soybeans solely to make and market replicas of them, thus depriving the company of the reward patent law provides for the sale of each article,” and, the Court concluded that “[p]atent exhaustion provides no haven for that conduct.” Id.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Patent Rights on Readily Replicable Products
Intellectual Property Alert
May 15, 2013
On Monday, May 13, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that patent exhaustion does not permit a farmer to make new versions of patented seeds through planting and harvesting purchased seeds without the patent holder’s permission (Bowman v. Monsanto Company et al., No. 11-796; S. Ct.). The decision is a conclusive victory for Monsanto, whose patents on Roundup Ready transgenic seeds have withstood attacks from farmers for more than a decade.
Monsanto licenses its herbicide resistant soybeans to seed producers who, in turn, sublicense them to farmers under the terms of a licensing agreement. The license limits a farmer’s planting of seeds to a single season, but the Roundup Ready trait is inherited by each successive generation of seed produced by the farmer. Monsanto claimed that farmers, like Indiana soybean farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman, violate the license agreement and infringe Monsanto’s patents by planting second-generation seeds that were either harvested from the original, purchased seeds or purchased as commodity seed from a grain elevator.
Bowman invoked the defense of patent exhaustion, which traditionally restricts a patent owner’s rights to control the use of a patented product after the first, authorized sale of that particular product into commerce. See Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc., 553 U. S. 617, 625 (2008). The Supreme Court took the case to determine if the patent exhaustion analysis changes in those cases where the patent covers a purportedly “self-replicating product.” The Court ruled, without dissent, that the Patent Act’s traditional protection against unauthorized making of patented articles fully applies to patented products that are self-replicating. The Court further validated the use of license agreements to protect patented products that are susceptible to ready replication, and even holding that license limitations may be implied into a sale. (Slip op. at 6 n.3)
The Court finally noted that “self-replicating product[s] *** are becoming ever more prevalent, complex, and diverse.” (Slip op. at 10) The Court accordingly reserved, for a later day, questions concerning the patent’s protection for “self-replication [that] might occur outside the purchaser’s control” or that “might be a necessary but incidental step in using the item for another purpose.” Id. In this case, however, “Bowman planted Monsanto’s patented soybeans solely to make and market replicas of them, thus depriving the company of the reward patent law provides for the sale of each article,” and, the Court concluded that “[p]atent exhaustion provides no haven for that conduct.” Id.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
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Nestle denies that water is a basic human right
The current Chairman and former CEO of Nestlé, the largest producer of food products in the world, believes that the answer to global water issues is privatization.
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The current Chairman and former CEO of Nestlé, the largest producer of food products in the world, believes that the answer to global water issues is privatization.
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Robots taking human jobs
After analyzing 702 jobs across various industries, two researchers from Oxford University found that 47 percent of these occupations were at risk of becoming completely computerized, Fast Company recently reported. With every technological advance, from increasingly sensitive sensors to algorithms complex enough to catch the nuances of human interaction, people may soon find that their jobs can be done faster and more cheaply by digital avatars and machines.
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After analyzing 702 jobs across various industries, two researchers from Oxford University found that 47 percent of these occupations were at risk of becoming completely computerized, Fast Company recently reported. With every technological advance, from increasingly sensitive sensors to algorithms complex enough to catch the nuances of human interaction, people may soon find that their jobs can be done faster and more cheaply by digital avatars and machines.
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Additional links:
- Experts predict robots will take over 30% of our jobs by 2025
- Nine jobs that humans may lose to robots
- 5 white-collar jobs robots already have taken
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