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by IfLizWereQueen

Analysis of the Trade Agreement Sell Out of the Majority

October 13, 2011 in Trade Agreements


The Story of “Sold Out” Continues

Find out if your elected official sold out the Majority yesterday!

If any member of Congress gave a damn not only about American workers, but all workers of the world, they would not have voted for any trade agreement yesterday (October 12, 2011) and Barack Obama should be ashamed of pushing the legacy of George Bush.  These trade agreements will do nothing more than make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

These trade agreements are nothing more than more of the same:  neoliberalism promoted by the rich.  In Mexico in the first year of NAFTA  the cost of living rose by 80%. Over 20,000 small and medium businesses  failed and more than 1,000 state-owned enterprises were privatized in Mexico. As one scholar said, ‘Neoliberalism means the neo-colonization of Latin America.”
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Sell-Out #1  Korea Trade Agreement

Another way to look at this vote is that our elected officials voted to approve sending 159,000 American jobs overseas and to raise the deficit $16 billion dollars.  They all had this information before they cast their votes.  They knew what they were doing and they didn’t give a damn.  They did it because, as Wall Street investors, this trade agreement means more money in their pockets.

The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea, which is expected to be the largest trade deal since NAFTA, will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect.

HOUSE SELLOUT

Select the link above to see how your representative voted.
278 Yeas and 151 Nays

SENATE SELLOUT
83 Yeas and 15 Nays – 2 Cowards

The 15 who stood up for the American Majority :

Blumenthal (D-CT), Brown (D-OH), Cardin (D-MD), Casey (D-PA), Hagan (D-NC), Harkin (D-A), Leahy (D-VT), Manchin (D-OR), Reed (D-RI), Reid (D-NV), Rockefeller (D-WV), Snowe (R-ME), Tester (D-MT) Whitehouse (D-RI)

Two cowards: Coburn (R-OK) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) did not vote.

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Sell-Out #2  Colombian Trade Agreement

Those who voted for the Colombian Trade Agreement gave their stamp of approval to one of the worst abusers of human laborers in the world.  In 2010 no less than 51 workers in Colombia were murdered by right-wing goon squads for trying to establish unions to protect workers from the abuse of the rich.  This year so far 22 unionists have been murdered.  But why should we be surprised.  Eric Holder, the man that Barack Obama chose for his Attorney General got the executives of Chiquita off the hook for paying good goon squads to murder unionists and this case even included [evidence of] a signed check by one of the Chiquita executives.

HOUSE SELLOUT

262 voted for it and 167 voted against it
4 abstained (among them Ron Paul)

As with the Senate, more voted against the Colombia trade agreement than voted against the Korean trade agreement. [Note:  Wall Street interests stand to gain a lot more from the Korean agreement than the Colombian trade agreement.]

SENATE SELLOUT

66 for the Colombia trade agreement  -33 against

The legislators did not vote the same on all the agreements. For example, while only 15 senators were against the Korean Trade agreement–an agreement that is guaranteed to ship at least 159,000 American jobs overseas, 33 of them, almost one third voted against the Colombian agreement.  Note also that Bernie Sanders voted on this one but not the Korea Trade Agreement and once again, Coburn is the coward not voting.  In fact, neither Coburn nor Ron Paul voted on any of the trade agreements.

Another observation:  Some like Leahy who voted against the Korean trade agreement voted for the Colombian Trade Agreement.

Those in the Senate who did the right thing and voted against the Colombian Trade Agreement

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Sell-Out #3 Panama Trade Agreement

No wonder the plutocrats in the House and Senate approved this trade agreement for a country known, like the USA, for its abuse and mistreatment of its workers.  Panama is also known as country where the rich of America can hide their money in offshore accounts.  How convenient.  Not only a place for outsourcing American jobs and increasing the wealth of Wall Street investors, but  also  providing a place for outsourcing tax money that should be going to the United States of America.  One banana republic serves another.

HOUSE SELL OUT
300 voted  for the Panama trade Agreement 129 voted against this heinous trade agreement.
Once again, Ron Paul did not vote on this bill either.
SENATE SELL OUT

77 sold the American Majority out, 22 supported us
(and once again Coburn didn’t vote.)

The 22 who supported the American Majority by voting against the Panama Trade Agreement in the Senate were:


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ILWQ Summary  and Conclusions

Both Houses seemed to like the Korean Trade Agreement the best–the one that we have the most hard core intelligence on that will ship at least 159,000 American jobs overseas and will raise the trade deficit by $16 billion dollars.  Why?  The answer is simple:  There is more profit in this trade agreement for them as wealthy Wall Street Investors.

The Colombian Trade agreement ranked #2 in approvals with the Senate while the Panama Trade Agreement ranked #2 in approvals with the House.

Overall Conclusion

The majority of both Houses are Wall Street Corporate shills who are lining their own pockets with their votes and Party does not make a damn bit of difference–unless you want to split hairs with meaningless differences.  The point is folks:  With a Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, this 44% Wall Street millionaire body managed to pass no less than three devastating trade agreements yesterday.

FORGET ABOUT PARTY

RUN FOR CONGRESS AS A NON-MILLIONAIRE FROM THE MAJORITY IN 2012.

We can kick every single member out of the House of Representatives in 2012 and replace them with non-millionaire representatives from the majority.

Proclaim the Queen!

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    by IfLizWereQueen

    Obama aided by Democrats and Republicans sold out the Majority Today

    October 12, 2011 in Trade Agreements

    Today the millionaires in Congress passed not one, but THREE one-way-street trade agreements for wealthy Wall Street investors.  They sold out the majority today.   They couldn’t have been more clear if they shouted from the rooftops:  F YOU AMERICA.  That’s what the Republicans AND the Democrats in Congress did today with their trade agreements.

    These one-way deals will make members of Congress richer and that is exactly why they passed these trade agreements and exactly why Obama sent George Bush’s Trade Agreement to them to sign.  These trade Agreements will make Obama richer too.  But as for the majority?  Well, it will work out about as well as NAFTA has worked out for us multiplied by three.

     _________________________________________________

    These criminals we call “representatives” and “Senators”  know exactly what the outcome of these unfair trade agreements will be for the American people.  They don’t believe for a second the BS letter from the Chamber of Commerce sent out to all U.S Congressional members last Friday with its unsubstantiated claims that the trade agreements will create 250,000 jobs in 7 years–as if this is anything to crow about in the first place. We have 14.5 million Americans who are out of work.  What  good are 250,000 jobs in 7 years–even if that were true? What do they think?  That the majority is totally stupid?  Even that meager claim by the Chamber of Commerce is false and they all knew that.  They ALL knew that–Obama too. They just didn’t think that we would be smart enough to figure it out too.  But that is where they made their mistake.  They all had the facts, the truth from the Economic Policy Institute long before the vote today.  They knew the dire consequences of what they were doing to the majority of Americans with their votes on these three trade agreements. But they didn’t care because they are going to make millions off these deals.

    The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea, which is expected to be the largest trade deal since NAFTA, will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect.

    _____________________________________________

    To fully understand the criminal act against the majority today, and the fact that Congress and the Obama Administration  knew what they were doing when pulling this heist, you need to know about H.R. 2832 -Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011.  [source]

    Apparently enough members of Congress were repulsed by what was about to be pulled off.  So in order to ensure enough votes for the three hideously destructive trade agreements the instigators in Congress floated a bill in early September: H.R. 2832 Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011

    You really need to read some of the amendments to see what they were doing:  For example:  #18 “To make the effective date of the amendments expanding the trade adjustment assistance program contingent on the enactment of the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the United States-Columbia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act, and the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. ”
    #28  ”To limit eligibility for trade adjustment assistance to workers who are laid off because of an increase in imports from, or a shift in production to, a country with which the United States has a free trade agreement in effect.”

    H.R. 2832 was introduced 9/2/2011 by Rep. Dave Camp from Michigan (like he ever gave a damn about the majority)

    YOU WANT A VISION OF WHAT IS TO COME?

    H.R. 2832 was created to extend unemployment to workers who would be laid off by these trade agreements.

    So if these trade agreements are going to create so many jobs for Americans, why was this bill necessary?  That is the question that we should be asking our “representatives.

    __________________________________________

    What is the only solution?  Kick all Democrats and Republican/Teaparty members out of the House of Representatives in 2012.  Replace them with Independent, non Wall Street stock owning Americans from the majority.

    Find out now what you need to do in your state to run as an Independent for U.S. Congress.  Go for it!

    ANY MEMBER OF THE MAJORITY WHO VOTES FOR EITHER A DEMOCRAT OR A REPUBLICAN IN 2012 IS A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE FOOL.

    Proclaim the Queen!

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      by IfLizWereQueen

      Learn about the man who co-sponsored the Korean Trade Agreement

      October 12, 2011 in Occupy, Trade Agreements

        

      Representative Sander (“Sandy”) Levin, Democrat and older brother of Senator Carl Levin, co-sponsored the Korean Trade Agreement. Rep Levin is supposed to be representing Michigan U.S. District 12  located in Detroit’s inner suburbs to the north, along the Interstate 696  corridor in macomb and Oakland counties, as well as a portion of Macomb north of the corridor.Michigan District 12 is 100.00 percent urban, 15.51 percent non-white, and has a population that is 1.45 percent Latino and 9.78 percent foreign-born.[Source]

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      Here are a few statistics on the children that Levin purports to represent:

      1. In 2006, 29,000 children in Mr. Levin’s district were living below poverty and in 2010, 49,000 children were living below poverty. [Source]

      2.In 2006, 61,000 of the total population of Mr. Levin’s district were in poverty.  In 2010, 96,000 were in poverty. [Source]

       ____________________________________________

      Levin voted yes for H.R. 4853 the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for the rich. 
      The 2010 extension of tax cuts didn’t just continue the tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires enacted under George W. Bush. It expanded those tax cuts, allowing inheritance of estates of up to 10 million dollars tax-free and deepening special tax favors for investors. The legislation also undermined the integrity of Social Security by creating a new standard of low funding for the Social Security trust fund, exposing Social Security to new charges of being unsustainably funded.

      Levin voted yes on Motion to Concur on Patriot Act 
      On February 25, 2010, the House of Representatives passed an extension of Patriot Act provisions for spying on Americans without establishment of probable cause or so much as a demonstration that the person being spied upon is even tangentially connected to terrorism. This reauthorization of the most controversial of Patriot Act powers made it through the House hidden within Medicare legislations and contained no reforms whatsoever.

      ________________________________________________

      If you agree that tax cuts for the rich help the majority.

      If you agree that it is fine to spy on the majority.

      If you believe the totally unsubstantiated claims put out by the Chamber of Commerce that the Korean Trade Agreement will “by one estimate, the trade agreements could create as many as 250,000 American jobs and generate billions of dollars in new exports within a few short years.  . . ” instead of the thoroughly documented claim by the Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect, then go ahead and accept the unsubstantiated claim of the Chamber of Commerce. It’s still a free country.  And while you are at it, you can also ignore all the historical data on NAFTA, a similar agreement, and what it did the the majority of the people.

      These trade agreements are great–for the upper 5% who are wealthy millionaire Wall Street investors like Rep Cantor and Rep. Levin–in fact they are just great for 44% of our Congress who are multimillionaires.

      ________________________________________________

      What I want to know:  What are the Majority living in  Michigan’s 12th District going to do?

      Are you going to continue to believe that there is an ounce of daylight between a Republican and a Democrat?  Then show me where it is.  Mr. Levin the Co-Sponsor of the Korea trade agreement and Mr. Eric Cantor the sponsor of this bill vote on much of the same legislation that is actually passed to support the rich to the harm of the majority.

      Are you going to get out there now and find a replacement for Levin from the majority of people in the 12th District–a citizen who is not a millionaire like Mr. Levin, a citizen whose income is representative of the majority instead of the upper 1%?  That is correct.  While millionaires occupy 44% of our Congress, the population of the USA consists of only 1% millionaires. [Wiki]

      I wonder what the Occupy groups think about these trade agreements in the 12th District?  Here is one city from this district that has an Occupy Group.

      Occupy Ferndale

       

      Proclaim the Queen!

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        by IfLizWereQueen

        The Trade Agreements: “A giant sucking sound of jobs headed south”

        October 12, 2011 in Trade Agreements

        The Times stated: “Proponents [e.g., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce] say the trade agreements…will pump as much as $14 billion into the U.S. economy and add more than 250,000 jobs.”  Notice, however that the Chamber of Commerce don’t tell us where they got their statistics to support their wild claims.

        The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea, which is expected to be the largest trade deal since NAFTA, will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect.

        The reality was better captured by Ross Perot during a 1992 Presidential Debate when he warned (video reminder below) that NAFTA would produce “a giant sucking sound of jobs headed South”…

        Proclaim the Queen!

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          by IfLizWereQueen

          Learn about the man who sponsored two of the trade agreements to be voted on today

          October 12, 2011 in Trade Agreements

            

          Eric Cantor – House Majority Leader – Representative for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District in office since 2001 

          Eric Cantor does not give a damn about the Majority and in spite of his rhetoric about the deficit, he doesn’t care about that either.  He is the 68th richest man in the House of Representatives with a net worth of approximately $6 million.  It’s no wonder he refers to the majority as a “mob.”

          Look at Cantor’s Record for Wall Street and the Rich

          1) If he cared about the majority,  he would not have sponsored the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - H.R.3080  The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea, which is expected to be the largest trade deal since NAFTA, will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect.

          2) If he cared about the majority, he wold not have sponsored the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - H.R.3078.  Last year 51 union leaders were murdered in Colombia and so far this year 22 have been murdered.

          3) If he cared about the majority, he would not have voted against raising the minimum wage to US$ 7.25 in 2007.

          4) If he cared about the majority,he would offer a better solution for healthcare than telling his constituents to “look for a good charity.”  In 2009, Eric Cantor, with a net worth of $6.95 million told a woman at one of those town hall meetings whose friend needed immediate care that “there are lot of charities out there who might help her.”

          5) If he cared about the majority, he would not have supported the Federal bailout of the nation’s largest banks.  But Cantors support of private banks is easy to understand when you look at how much of his personal money is invested in Goldman Sachs and other of the banks that were bailed out:  Goldman Sachs –over $400,000; Morgan Stanley $65,000; Barclays $50,000
          6) If he cared about the majority, Cantor would not bet against the American economy.  Yes, in December of 2008 Cantor bought up to $15,000 in shares of ProShares Trust Ultrashort 20+ Year Treasury ETF  according to his 2009 financial disclosure statement. The exchange-traded fund takes a short position in long-dated government bonds. In effect, it is a bet against U.S. government bonds — and perhaps on inflation in the future.

          7) If he cared about the majority, Cantor would not be refusing to allow the House to vote on the Jobs bill.  No, like the stimulus it is not enough but is is a bill that would help millions of Americans.  If you need more proof that Cantor does not represent the majority, I suggest that you read this list again and reconsider.

          _______________________________________________

          Cantor and the Wall Street Rich of Congress have grown their net worth during the worst recession in the USA since the Great Depression

          Eric Cantor, like most of the Wall Street millionaires in the U.S. Congress don’t give a damn about the majority because they do not belong to the majority.  Instead, they belong to the wealthy Wall Street investor class who have been making millions off their Wall Street investments while Americans from the majority lose their jobs and homes.  In just one year–from 2008 to 2009 Cantor increased his personal wealth over one million dollars with his Wall Street investments.

          In 2008 Cantor’s net worth was from $1,853,155 to $6,707,999

          In 2009 Cantor’s net worth was from $2,175,157 to $7,533,999

          Source:  Open Secrets

          ______________________________________________

          No Congressional Member Who Votes for the Trade Agreements Today Should be Re-elected in 2012

          If any member of Congress gave a damn not only about American workers, but all workers of the world, they would not vote for any trade agreement that is up for vote today, October 12, 2011 and Barack Obama should be ashamed of pushing the legacy of George Bush.  These trade agreements will do nothing more than make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

          These trade agreements are nothing more than more of the same:  neoliberalism promoted by the rich.  In Mexico in the first year of NAFTA  the cost of living rose by 80%. Over 20,000 small and medium businesses  failed and more than 1,000 state-owned enterprises were privatized in Mexico. As one scholar said, ‘Neoliberalism means the neo-colonization of Latin America.”

          _____________________________________________

           What will the Majority in Virginia’s 7th District Do about Eric Cantor?

          If you live in the 7th District, pass this information on to at least one other person who lives in your district.  Talk about it on your Occupy Richmond FaceBook.  Organize now to defeat Cantor in 2012.  Representatives who do not represent the majority should be removed from office in 2012.

          Will you find an Independent candidate from the majority (a non-millionaire who earns less than $100,000 a year) to replace Cantor?

          Will you do what is necessary now to file all the necessary papers to get that person on your ballot?

          Will you start working now to tell people what Eric Cantor has done?

          Will you start working now to register voters in your district?

          The total population of your  district is 643,499. This falls within the average range of most US Congressional Districts which is 600,0000.  Median Age for the district is 37.1 years. 79.1% of the district is white, 16.2% Black or African American, 2.3% Asian and 2.0% Hispanic or Latino. Owner-occupied housing is 72.8% and Renter-occupied housing is 27.2%. The median value of single-family owner-occupied homes is $128,800. 84.9% of the district population has at least a High School degree, 33.2% at least a Bachelor’s degree or higher. 13.5% of the district are civilian veterans. 15.9% are of disability status (5 years or older). 4.8% are Foreign born and 6.8% speak a language other than English at home. 68.6% of the district is in the labor force, which consists of those 16 years and older. Mean travel time to work is 26.3 minutes. Median household income is $50,990. Per capita income is $25,861. 4.4% of the population account for families living below the poverty level, and 6.1% of individuals live below the poverty level.

          _______________________________________________

          Observations from Virginia’s 7th District Demographics

          300,000 people in your district come from Households with incomes under $50,990

          About 30,000 people in your district are living below the poverty level

          Proclaim the Queen!

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            by IfLizWereQueen

            Upcoming Votes on trade agreements tomorrow Oct 12, 2011 U.S. Congress

            October 11, 2011 in Trade Agreements

            Read these trade agreements and then call your elected officials in DC and ask them to vote NO.

            If you need additional consideration please read:  Obama with Republican and Wall Street’s Assistance is likely to pass NAFTA-like deals October 12, 2011

            United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - H.R.3078

            The House is scheduled to vote on implementing a trade pact with Colombia.

            Eric Cantor , Republican Virginia  sponsored this trade agreement
            Sam Farr, Democrat, California, co-sponsored this trade agreement 

             

            United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - H.R.3079

            The House is scheduled to vote on implementing a trade pact with Panama.
            Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI]  SPONSOR
            Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU]- 11/7/2007 Co Sponsor
            Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 12/10/2007 Co Sponsor
            Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] Co Sponsor

             

            United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - H.R.3080

            The House is scheduled to vote on implementing a trade pact with South Korea.

            Rep. Eric Cantor sponsored this trade agreement
            Rep Sander Levin co-sponsored this trade agreement

            _______________________________________________

            Members of Congress are Politely Threatened by Lobbyists on how to vote.

            Here is an interesting note in case you don’t know how things work in Washington.  A few days  before a vote is taken, all members of Congress receive what amounts to polite threats from various special interest groups.  The one below is an excerpt from a letter sent out by the Chamber of Commerce on Oct , 2011 regarding these three trade agreements.

             

            from the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
            Key Vote Letter Supporting H.R. 3078, H.R. 3079, H.R. 3080, H.R. 2832

            Release Date:

            Thursday, October 6, 2011
            October 6, 2011

            TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS:

            The House and Senate are expected to vote in the coming days on the “United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act” (H.R. 3078), the “United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act” (H.R. 3079), the “United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act” (H.R. 3080), and the “Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Extension Act of 2011” (H.R. 2832), which includes the extension of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of every size, sector and region, strongly urges you to vote in favor of these, which are among our top legislative priorities of the year. The Chamber will include votes on, or in relation to, these bills in our annual How They Voted scorecard.

            By one estimate, the trade agreements could create as many as 250,000 American jobs and generate billions of dollars in new exports within a few short years. They would level the playing field for American exporters, creating real business opportunities for U.S. businesses and their employees. For example, South Korea currently collects $4 in tariffs on U.S. exports for every $1 the United States collects in tariffs on South Korean goods. A similar disadvantage holds back U.S. trade with Colombia and Panama as well. .   .   .   .

            To read the  Key vote letter in its entirety Select Here

            _______________________________________________________

            IFLWQ Analysis:  Not reliable advice from the Chamber of Commerce since it does not cite sources and makes sweeping generalizations and claims.  If I were a representative, I would disregard this information in the same way I might disregard a third-class advertising circular.

            One of the problems with this letter “advising” Congress is that is makes all these gushing statements and claims without quoting their sources. This particular key letter contains misinformation as well as disinformation.

            For example in the beginning of the last paragraph from the excerpt, it begins “By one estimate. . . ”  Whose estimate should be the question asked by the reader.  In fact, this letter is filled with unsubstantiated claims.

            Here, for example are some real facts with sources to back them up that contradict the first claim that “as many as 250,00o American jobs will be created.  Notice that the source the Economic Policy Institute is named.  If the elected officials have any integrity they will ask the Chamber where they got some of their estimates.

            The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea, which is expected to be the largest trade deal since NAFTA, will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect.

            Proclaim the Queen!

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              by IfLizWereQueen

              Obama with Republicans and Wall Street’s assistance is likely to pass NAFTA-like deals Wed. Oct 12, 2011

              October 11, 2011 in Trade Agreements

              President Obama has asked Congress to approve not one but three NAFTA-like deals negotiated by former President George Bush with Panama, Korea and Colombia  The House and Senate are expected to vote on these deals on Wednesday.

              With 14.5 million Americans out of work and instead of dealing with that issue Obama chooses to  pass three old Bush trade bills that that the federal government’s own studie say will increase the U.S. trade deficit?

              Kucinich expressed the viewpoints of many Americans when he said that the last thing American workers and our economy needs is more NAFTA-style trade agreements.

              All three these trade agreements are dirty deals for the majority in the USA and the majority in these respective nations.  Shame on Obama!

              The Korean Deal Alone will displace 159,000 US Jobs

              The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the agreement with Korea, which is expected to be the largest trade deal since NAFTA, will increase the US trade deficit by $16.7 billion and displace 159,000 US jobs within the first seven years after it takes effect.

              Colombian Trade Agreement – implicit approval of murderers

              22 trade unionists have been assassinated in Colombia so far this year.  Last year 51 were murdered.  Indeed why should we trade with Colombia?  Is it because our government leaders approve of this treatment of workers?

              Panama – just another back door deal between two banana republics

              It is also known as a tax haven for money launderers and tax dodgers. In January 2006, Panama’s Minister of Agriculture resigned in anger after a note that was slipped from Panama’s trade representatives to the US representatives purportedly promised to reduce Panama’s livestock import standards. (Disgusting!)

               

              TAKE ACTION NOW!  CALL CONGRESS AND TELL THEM TO STOP THE JOB-KILLING TRADE BILLS

              1 -800 – 718 – 1008

              _________________________________________________________

              IFLWQ Comments:  Shades of Bill Clinton!

              Do  you understand now why we are having Occupy Wall Street Protests?  It is because of deals such as these which are designed–not for the majority, but to increase the wealth of Wall Street investors–many of whom incidentally will be voting in favor of these awful trade agreements.

              Proclaim the Queen!

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                by IfLizWereQueen

                STOP KOREA TRADE DEAL

                July 9, 2011 in Trade Agreements

                Stop Korea trade deal slippery slope to more NAFTA-style FTAs

                'No New NAFTA: Save U.S. Jobs' over photograph of locked gate at closed factory

                It was bad enough that President Obama — who once promised to renegotiate NAFTA — is pushing for passage of the job-killing, Bush-negotiated trade deal with Korea. But now Obama has announced he will also push for quick passage of Bush’s trade deal with Colombia, the union murder capital of the world, and a third deal with Panama, a notorious tax haven.

                If we don’t get Congress to stop this damaging trade package, we’re sure to be slammed with even more of the same NAFTA-style disaster in a massive Pacific trade pact that Obama is now negotiating with nine countries, including Vietnam and Malaysia.

                Tell your members of Congress that if they don’t stop the job-killing Korea trade deal, we’ll hold them responsible for the next unfair trade deals as well.

                Proclaim the Queen!

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                  by IfLizWereQueen

                  MORE ON SLAVE LABOR IN THE USA

                  February 16, 2011 in Justice, Labor Struggles, The Real Truth, The Rich, Trade Agreements

                  The good ole boys with their confederate flags and Governors like Haley Barbour don’t have to worry about protecting the right of the rich to use slaves.  Slavery in the USA is alive and well and sponsored by many member of the US Congress.  Today’s slave owners are even worse that those from 150 years ago.  Today’s slave owners have no responsibility for the care and health of their slaves.

                  *************************************************************************************

                  GUEST WORKER PROGRAM–JUST ANOTHER FORM OF HUMAN ABUSE AND SLAVERY APPROVED OF BY OUR CONGRESS

                  Following Hurricane Katrina, a major hotel company in New Orleans, Decatur Hotels LLC, decided to arrange for H-2B guestworkers to fill hotel jobs that had been vacated by employees who apparently were driven from the city by the massive destruction. In its request to the Department of Labor for permission to hire up to 290 guestworkers, the company claimed to “have offered work to hurricane evacuees” but “no one applied.”

                  Agents for the company, however, found plenty of willing workers in Peru, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic. Each recruit paid between $3,500 and $5,000 to come to the United States for hotel jobs — maintenance, housekeeping, guest services, etc. — that were scheduled to last just nine months. According to the terms of the written contract, each would have to work full-time for three to four months just to recoup the recruiting fees, not counting any interest on loans they may have taken out. When they arrived, they found they were not even able to work full-time with the hotels, making their situations even more desperate.

                  Congress could, if they didn’t represent the Wall Street rich, pass legislation that would require that employers pay for recruiting and the expense of transporting the workers into the USA. This would end such abuse and it would also encourage US employers who are looking for the free labor ride to seek  out US citizens for employment and pay rates according to the laws of our nation.  Why is it that the rich always seem to think that the law is for someone else?

                  *************************************************************************************

                  MAQUILADORA — JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR A COMPLICIT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE RICH OF TWO NATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE USE OF SLAVE LABOR

                  The following passage is from THE MASK OF DEMOCRACY–Labor Suppression in Mexico Today. by Dan La Botz [1992]

                  “After passage of the Mexican government’s maquiladora decree.  By 1971, the city had 52 maquiladora plants with 5,617 employees, making it the largest center of maquiladoras on the Mexican border.  With the opening of the Antonio J. Bermudez Industrial Park in 1972, the maquiladora industry in Juarez grew even more rapidly, attracting companies such as RCA, Sylvania, Ampex, General Instruments, Centralab, and American Hospital Supply.  Following the 1974-75 recession, the Mexican government made even greater economic concessions to attract employers to Mexico.  This led to another growth spurt of maquiladora employment to 23, 580 employees.

                  One major attraction in Cuidad Juarez has been low wages.  Frequently, plants that opened in Juarez were “run-away shops” fleeing labor union wages in the US.  RCA, for example, closes its television manufacturing centers in Cincinnati and Memphis and moved them to Juarez and Taiwan.  Similarly, Zenith closed its plant in Chicago and moved operations to Juarez and Taiwan.

                  Companies like General Electric indicated that by 1978 they were saving between $10,000 and $12,000 in wages per worker per year.  [all the more for their rich investors]  The continuous devaluation of the peso led to a fall in wages in Ciudad Juarez from 85 cents per hours in 1975 to 43 center per hour in 1984.”


                  FROM Jan 2011:  WFFA.com Ft. Worth in an interview with Bob Cook, president of the Regional Economic Commission in El Paso, Juarez’s cross-border sister city

                  The Juarez maquiladoras added about 26,000 new jobs from July 2009 until August 2010, when they employed more than 192,000 people. But there’s still ground to make up — three years ago, the sector employed about 250,000 out of Juarez’ population of 1.3 million.

                  Cook said that since 2008, 106 new permits for maquiladoras were granted in Juarez. An additional 15 companies have notified the commission of plans to locate or expand in the city, which would create up to 11,400 more jobs.

                  After a shooting on October 28, 2011, one of the American workers reported:  “Of course you’re scared, but you’ve still got to go to work,” said Luis Garcia, 36, who makes 800 pesos, about $65, a week cutting car-seat leather for the Eagle Ottawa company of Michigan, and who rides the same bus route where the shooting occurred.

                  The shooting happened because the bus company in which four of Luis’s co-workers was riding had apparently refused to pay extortion to a local gang so the gang shot up a random bus carrying innocent workers home to El Paso  from their night shift.

                  WELCOME TO THE USA WHERE SLAVERY AND ABUSE OF OUR WORKERS FOR THE INVESTMENTS OF THE RICH ARE ALIVE AND WELL.

                  If you still own stock in Wall Street, you are part of the problem–not part of the solution.

                  Proclaim the Queen!

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                    by IfLizWereQueen

                    NO ORDINARY DEAL TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

                    December 6, 2010 in Trade Agreements

                    Available now: New book No Ordinary Deal exposes threats of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)

                    Book Cover - No Ordinary Deal by Jane Kelsey

                    Order No Ordinary Deal

                    Today, the fourth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations start in Auckland, New Zealand.

                    While we’ve been promised that a TPP deal will comprise a new 21st century model for trade agreements, unfortunatley it is looking a lot like NAFTA so far. Negotiators in New Zealand are working from a text that dates back to the Bush era and provides foreign investors new protections that promote offshoring and expose our environmental and health laws to attack.

                    If you don’t know about the TPP, you need to. But that is no easy feat because negotiations are occurring behind closed doors and the draft texts are being kept secret.

                    Now there’s a new book — No Ordinary Deal — that explains what is at stake with the TPP. It’s a compilation edited by Jane Kelsey, Professor of Law at the University of Auckland, with chapters contributed by folks from Australia, New Zealand, and Chile — and Global Trade Watch’s own Lori Wallach and Todd Tucker. No Ordinary Deal exposes the contradictions of locking our countries even deeper into a neoliberal model of financial deregulation, extreme foreign investor rights, extended patent protections limiting access to affordable medicines, and corporatized food production — even as this old model has come under growing attack in the United States and abroad.

                    The book will be distributed in the United States in early 2011, but we have limited early copies. Get your copy of No Ordinary Deal at Global Trade Watch’s online store.

                    In Solidarity,

                    James Ploeser
                    Senior Field Organizer, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

                    Proclaim the Queen!

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