I’m on several liberal and conservative mailing lists. I received an email today asking for a donation to help stop the TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Should we trust secret trade agreements crafted mostly by industries?

Should we stop it, support it, or let Obama and the other countries handle it?

The TTIP is part of the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I’m astonished at it’s length and complexity, as well as its secrecy. Supposedly its length might be justified if it needed to specify all the different kinds of non-tariff trade barriers that are disallowed, but if so, the agreement should have been shortened and all those disallowed barriers should have been put in an addendum.

The secrecy is the disturbing part. If they want to make the proceedings secret, that could be tolerable. But public advocacy groups should be included in the negotiations. They need to contribute before the final agreement is made.

Will the TTIP make a Single-Payer Health system impossible?

This article says the TTIP would make a Single-Payer Health system impossible in the US. It would protect Health Insurance’s market and their profits. Perhaps opening medicare to subscribers might work around this possibility. But it depends on the actual wording, which might be secret.

What else might the TTIP prevent?

What if we decide to shrink our military? Do we have to pay all the companies that service bases and provide data and other services?

What if a city decides to provide low-cost, high-bandwidth internet because the monopolies in various areas charge so much? Will they be sued for years of lost profits?

And what about the small tax on stock transactions proposed by Bernie, and I believe adopted by Hillary? Will that cost the many day-traders their livelihood, or part of their profits? Will they be able to sue?

What about California’s high-speed rail project? Can projects like this be charged with eating into airline profits?

What about stopping climate change?

What if the US puts a tax on carbon to encourage renewables and phase out fossil fuel use? Will this give oil and coal companies the right to sue for damages? And maybe that’s why Obama wants to rush this through. Maybe these corporations will accept action on climate change if they can sue for lost profits. It’s hard to understand why Obama is so resolute on this seemingly unjust and potentially inhumane law. If action on climate control is his real goal, that could explain it.

Clearly, I’m no expert on the TPP or the TTIP. But having been developed in secret combined with the “fast-track” schedule (voting on it without a chance for amendments) guarantees that public advocates and other experts won’t get a chance to contribute necessary changes.

As a citizen of what’s supposed to be a country of, by and for the people, shouldn’t you have a say?  If you want one sooner, add your email address to our announcement list.