Stephen Lendman

In his May 2 Washington Post op-ed, Obama pushed for adopting the anti-consumer, anti-labor, anti-environment, pro-corporate predation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to let America write the rules on global trade and everything else.

He hyped “a boon to American businesses…” He lied claiming benefits to “American workers.” TPP’s adoption would be major step toward relegating them to neo-serfdom.

It gives America “a leg up” on China, excluded from TPP. Obama lied, claiming US standards are consumer and eco-friendly, unlike its Asian rival.

America was thirdworldized on his watch, accelerating a race to the bottom begun under his Republican and Democrat predecessors.

TPP and its Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) counterpart, if adopted, will finish the job - empowering business without restraints at the expense of humanity and the environment.

Responding to Greenpeace’s Monday leak of TTIP documents, Public Citizen president Robert Weissman said they prove “the United States is trying to export its failed regulatory model.”

If successful, corporate predators more than ever will rule the world unimpeded. The health and welfare of planet earth and its population will be jeopardized.

“US rulemaking…tilt(s) (one way), favor(ing) Big Business.” TTIP and TPP offer “a pseudo-scientific cloak to industry’s apocalyptic claims about the costs of the next regulation and operate at loggerheads with application of the precautionary principle.”

Ahead of Greenpeace’s Monday leak, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch director Lori Wallach said “the deeply flawed, pro-corporate process and agenda of the TTIP must be rejected.” Separately, she’s said the same thing about TPP.

Obama’s op-ed pushed for US rules running the world, other nations forced to go along, saying TPP and TTIP “put American workers first and (assure) we write the rules of the road for trade (and everything else) in the 21st century.”

Both deals assure unrestrained corporate empowerment over public welfare and safety. They enforce profit-making at the expense of everything else.

They don’t make America “stronger and safer.” They have nothing to do with “national security. They destroy “higher-paying” jobs. They don’t create them.

They don’t make America less competitive, let “prosperity pass us by,” or deny US business free access to foreign markets.

Obama Big Lies are whoppers! “If we don’t get (both deals done), employers across America will lose the chance to compete with other countries’ companies on a level playing field,” he ranted.

TPP and TTIP tilt the “playing field” heavily in favor of US corporate predators at the expense of public health, welfare and safety.

Obama insists “America should write the rules. America should call the shots.” Other countries and world populations should go along or else.

The world Obama wants isn’t safe or fit to live in. Unrestrained corporate empowerment harms ordinary people everywhere.

-###-

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.