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Ajamu Baraka on Free Trade
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TPA & TPP: first of series of pernicious trade agreements
President Obama and the corporate democrats continue to press Congress to provide Obama with trade promotion authority (TPA), or so-called fast-track authority to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the first of a series of pernicious
so-called free trade agreements. In the process of organizing the fight-back to deny President Obama fast-track authority to conclude the TPP and ram it through Congress behind the backs of the people, I wrote about the fact that in some black circles
there was uncertainty regarding the priority that the TPP should be given or whether or not it was even an important issue for African Americans.The terrible reality facing increasing numbers of African Americans is that as the U.S. continues to
shift to a low-skilled, low-wage economy, the labor force is also contracting, with the result being that large numbers of African American workers and the poor are destined to not be able to secure full time employment during their entire lives!
Source: Ajamu Baraka column in Counterpunch, "Neoliberal Trade"
, May 21, 2015
Trans-Pacific Partnership, like NAFTA, loses jobs in the US
The Neoliberal assault on U.S. workers continues--this time with a slick move on the part of the 1% to sneak by the people a noxious trade bill called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Like NAFTA--concluded under Bill Clinton--that promised jobs,
balanced economic growth and prosperity but instead created economic devastation in the agricultural sector of Mexico and the loss of jobs in the U.S., the TPP promises more of the same but on a grander scale.If concluded, the TPP will continue the
process of concentrating economic power in the hands of US-based transnational corporations & financial institutions. And while the 1% who have no allegiance to any national territory or state will grow richer, the agreement will pit workers in the US--
especially Black and Brown workers--into cut-throat competition with exploited workers, this time in Asia, who will be paid slave wages to produce for the US and European markets--this agreement producing increased exports from the US is a blatant lie.
Source: Ajamu Baraka column in Counterpunch, "TPP is a Black Issue"
, May 12, 2015
Page last updated: Aug 22, 2016