I Am Befuddled

I’ve watched the president’s proposed trade deal over the past few months. Much of that time has been spent shaking my head. Why is the president so anxious to get this deal? It seems so unDemocratic (the party, not the system).

As I understand it, the trade deal is being negotiated in secret. Even Congress has limited access to the details.

Big business has had a big hand in these negotiations. The public has been shut out.

With all due respect to big business, over the past few decades their goals and my goals aren’t usually aligned.

The few tidbits that have come out are scary. I’m sure I’m oversimplifying, but in some cases this treaty will trump or negate American law. If it’s anything like our last few trade deals the American worker and taxpayer will be the loser.

Here’s what Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a Republican, has to say:

Americans do not want this, did not ask for it, and are pleading from their hearts for their lawmakers to stop it.

The same people projecting the benefits of leaping into a colossal new economic union could not even accurately predict the impact of a standalone agreement with South Korea. The latter deal, which promised to boost our exports to them $10 billion, instead only budged them less than $1 billion, while South Korea’s imports to us increased more than $12 billion, nearly doubling our trading deficit. This new agreement will only further increase our trading deficit: opening our markets to foreign imports while allowing our trading partners to continue their non-tariff barriers that close their markets to ours.

When was the last time I agreed with this guy? Probably never!

Strangest of all the president and Republican majority are strongly aligned. The Dems are mostly against the president’s plan. When was the last time that happened.

The deal couldn’t pass muster in Washington today. A big defeat for the president. Already Republican congressional leaders are looking for ways to try again next week.

There’s more here than meets the eye. What I can see stinks.

3 thoughts on “I Am Befuddled”

  1. I have long expected that our country is no longer led by the President. I think that’s why so many go back on their promises. There are other forces at work. Long ago I read a quote that said : “If something doesn’t make sense, look for the money angle.” Going by that, there must a financial bonus for the Republicans and those “others”.

  2. Obama is bent on destroying America and that is the essence of this Trade Deal among other issues. Change IS what Obama wants and CHANGE to dismantle the foundation of corporate holdings and transfer it to foreign entities. In the end, after the next election 2016 both the republican WH and US Congress will be at stake to undo the Obama misdoings w/eleventh hour executive orders etc. America will have to wake-up and learn how to reseach and become an educated independent voter and not part of the sheep people clan in life.

  3. All I can add is a question: what does transparency mean in the context of today’s political climate? I thought there were numerous comments in the recent campaigns promising transparency, presumably to allow the voting public to see what their elected officials are up to. It does not seem to be working…

    I’m not always in agreement with you, Geoff, but in this case I certainly do. This does not sit well with me either.

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