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'Partnership' puts profits first

Americans got their first look at the TPP or Trans-Pacific Partnership recently and it should alarm both Republicans and Democrats alike.

It is described as "NAFTA on steroids" and will result in less protection of consumers, workers, small investors and the environment.

Banks and global speculators will be beyond oversight or control. The safety of imported food will no longer have to meet our standards.

It includes giveaways to Big Pharma that will increase the already inflated drug prices that Americans pay. It will allow American corporations to outsource even more jobs to places like Vietnam where workers will work for pennies an hour.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the TPP is that it establishes an international tribunal outside of a nation's legal system that can force a nation to reimburse a global corporation for any "losses" due to things like raising the minimum wage or putting labels on a harmful product.

Big Tobacco is already using a similar provision against Uruguay, claiming that Uruguay's strong anti-smoking regulations unfairly diminish the company's profits.

These tribunals usurp the sovereignty of our country by being able to declare our labor, consumer and environmental protections to be unlawful.

Consumers have heard little about the TPP because the corporations who control the news media, cable news and most other sources of information want you to stay uninformed, even though they have been at the table during the negotiations.

Corporate profits will replace the common good and result in a global race to the bottom. It finally gives corporations just what they have wanted: A way to eliminate any laws or regulations that get in the way of their profits.

Call your representatives today to protest before the vote is held.

Marti Gorun

Libertyville

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