politics

Australian trade minister sees TPP deal just weeks away

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The TPP is an example of how corporations have basically taken over our governments, which are suppose to represent us. If we were shown the truth of this so-called trade deal (very few sections actually deal with trade) written by and for huge corporations, and had a chance to debate what the real effects will be on the environment, labour, social security, and sovereignty, it's highly unlikely a majority in most countries would approve it. Thus the secrecy.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

The US is insisting on extending copyright to death + 70 years as part of the TPP talks. Sometimes it is said that copyright is an incentive for authors to create new works, but they can hardly do that when they are dead. Copyright law has been entirely taken over by corporations and is now complete nonsense. I no longer take any notice of it.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The TPP is an example of how corporations have basically taken over our governments,

Really? Who benefits from tariffs? Largely corporations and bureaucrats, who use them to stifle competition, or buy votes. Tariffs are a highly corrupting practice which remove control of market prices from buyers and puts the control into the hands of lobbies and bureaucracies.

Trade should be free. The price of any and all goods should be determined by what you and I want to pay for these goods, not by a third party looking to pad their sales by preventing competition, or by bureaucrats currying favour, votes, and campaign contributions from select groups, and causing the rest of us to pay more. Is it fair that 100% of people in Japan pay five times as much for rice, or two or three times as much for meet and dairy products so the 1% of the economy the agricultural sector makes up can earn a profit? Is it fair that part of the taxes you pay are used to subsidise producers of products you don't buy or use? Is it fair that in Japan a farmer's vote is worth nearly three times what a city dweller's vote is worth?

If you look closely, you will see that corporations have not taken over governments, the opposite has happened. Governments now make up more than one-third of GDP in developed countries, and have slowly been taking over corporations, businesses, and the private sector economy. Go into business for yourself, take a look at the red tape, regulations, and taxes which must be navigated. In America, businesses spend more money in tax than they do on payroll, for profitable businesses in Japan (few as they are), the situation is the same. Do you really think that if corporations ruled the government, tax rates would be more than 30%, or or that so many barriers and so much red tape would exist?

Your government does not represent you, it does not represent business, it represents itself. It lies to you, it extorts from businesses. Your politicians are the sons and nephews of other politicians, how can such people represent you? And if you are a foreigner living in Japan, you have no vote anyway. At least in a free economy you can vote with your money, and pay what you want for the things you want. But in a regulated and tariffed economy, you don't even have that right.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

@sangetsu03

I can't buy into your neo-liberal argument of how government is operating for itself. Yes! There is some of that and there are, thankfully, still some social welfare programmes and government regulates, as Adam Smith advised, some of the excesses of the market place, but the corporate state now mainly functions for the interests of huge corporations and the investor class, otherwise these groups would not have so much wealth. Lists of former political officials and bureaucrats that have become corporate lobbyists are proof. Major corporations write laws and policy (the TPP, for example), that accrues to them more wealth and influence and limits the fairer functioning of the market. Government also rewards to them huge amounts of corporate welfare, as former government services have been privatized.

You say trade should be free. What do you mean by "free"? Free for the most powerful players to further exploit the weak, such as under colonialism, neo-colonialsim, economic imperialism? The real world is not an economics textbook and the TPP will not bring fairer competition. If it were so fantastic and most of us would willingly embrace it, why the secrecy?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

So the US is removing the 25% tariff on imported Japanese trucks is it ? Removing the 25 year old restriction on import motor vehicles ?

Please tell us about this copyright law, please tell us why its all hush secret secret stuff ?

Free Trade is a myth, TPP is a secret pact that ensures that the average joe in this world will be even more enslaved and restricted while corporations who have subscribed to the political agenda, and govt that have subscribed to the corporate agenda can get even more of a strangle hold on our economic throats.

Most politicians have shares and interests in these corporations who will benefit most, Its not about making things better for you n me and joe and mary down the street, its about feathering their own nests and lining their own pockets.

In some places it is difficult to define where the corporations end and the govts start, or visa versa the line is often blurred.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

One news item says the Aussie government is in big trouble politically, and this one assumes that that same government is strong enough to get a big trade deal done. We have seen this TPP euphoria before. The hype before a storm.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

TPP is a secret pact that ensures that the average joe in this world will be even more enslaved and restricted while corporations who have subscribed to the political agenda, and govt that have subscribed to the corporate agenda can get even more of a strangle hold on our economic throats.

I fully agree. The TPP will not be good to anyone who isn't a corporate executive.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

TPP must be defeated at all costs. It gives corporations way too much power.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@warispeace,mukashiyokatta and all others that TPP should be defeated. You are without a doubt 100% correct and on point. Point 1 and A Main Point: Whi is it that all goverment delegates are not to discuss anything regarding TPP to the General Public or their other colleagues in office? This alone makes me hit the brakes and hit them hard. Point 2: How can any country truly compete against those countries that basically have a slave workforce? They don't but the corporations walk away like stuffed pigs. There are so many issues that I can and can not speak on because of the secrecy of this New World Order Deal.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

TPP overwrites your environmental laws, your labour laws, your copyright laws. It's the corporation treaty, and has nothing to do with countries, voting or democratic decisions. It's behind closed doors and no one, no one will be allowed to vote on it.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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