TPP + China = even more reason to worry

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just when you think the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can’t get any worse, it does. Now </span><a href="http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=33B91A19-6BFF-4BF3-965A-1E0084ABD1DD" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">China is making rumblings that it wants to participate</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in the TPP. You know, the country that put the “sweat” in sweatshops!<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">America has seen what China can do to U.S. jobs, and it’s not good. This nation </span><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/24/report-america-lost-27-million-jobs-to-china-in-10-years" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lost 2.7 million jobs to the Chinese</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> during the first 10 years after China was accepted into the World Trade Organization, but that is only the beginning if the world’s most populated nation is allowed to join the current 12-country Pacific Rim trade pact. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And did we mention that the </span><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/china-drives-uptick-in-us-trade-deficit-96257.html" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">U.S. trade deficit with China topped $30 billion</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for the first time in July? Good times!<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While trade negotiators are in the nation’s capital to try and work out unresolved portions of the TPP, those who support workers and their allies are </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/450001515036305/451382368231553/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">taking to the street tomorrow</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to say the public deserves to be heard on this trade agreement. There should be no quick up-or-down vote in Congress on something so important.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's make them remember that when the U.S. negotiates a trade agreement, every provision should benefit working families, not big corporations. America doesn't need anymore "free" trade deals, it needs fair trade deals.</span></div>

China fair labor fair trade TPP TPP + China = even more reason to worry

Just when you think the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can’t get any worse, it does. Now China is making rumblings that it wants to participate in the TPP. You know, the country that put the “sweat” in sweatshops! America has seen what China can do …

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Something’s fishy with the TPP

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarians and is equally apt.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/trading-away-our-safe-seafood/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Capitol Hill panel looking at seafood and the TPP</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> raised serious concerns about what a flood of fish coming in from the 11 other nations involved in negotiations of the trade pact would mean both for consumers and industry workers. Lawmakers and experts said the livelihoods of fishermen and the health of the American public could be at stake.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitch Jones, Food and Water Watch’s director of the common resources program who moderated the program, said as it stands the U.S. can’t keep up with imported fish:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2010 the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] had 92 full time equivalent border inspectors, which means that in that year each border inspector was responsible for inspecting 56.5 million pounds of seafood. No wonder less than 2 percent of our seafood is actually inspected before being allowed into the country and sold in our stores.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In an effort to stop the soaring importation of unsafe fish, lawmakers and experts agreed it is </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/help-derail-fast-tracking-of-TPP.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">key to stop fast track</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which would allow a quick up-or-down vote on the TPP with little demand and no chance to amend the deal. Having Congress fully consider the agreement would not only help consumers’ health, it would protect hard-working Americans in many different industries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) and Walter Jones (N.C.), who hosted the briefing, were joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) on a </span><a href="http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/11/members-of-congress-ask-obama-administration-to-ensure-seafood-safety-in-trade-negotiation/#.UjMrA2zD_cs" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">letter sent to the Obama administration last year asking that public health be a key focus</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of negotiators during TPP discussions. Unfortunately, due to the secretive nature of the pact’s negotiations, the public doesn’t know where things stand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As talks between trade negotiators begin to wind down, the Obama administration and Congress need to carefully weigh any deal. While Americans are for open markets, that doesn’t mean they want to trade good U.S. jobs and safe products made here for lost jobs, lower wages and foods that make their families sick. They demand fair trade.</span></div>

fair trade fast track food safety TPP Something’s fishy with the TPP

TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarians and is equally apt. A Capitol Hill panel looking at seafood and the TPP raised serious concerns about what a…

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