Stop Trade Promotion Authority (Fast Track), Stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
March & Rally against Fast Track Authority on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other "Free Trade Agreements."
Saturday, November 16, 2013, 2:00 pm at Orlando city Hall (400 S. Orange Ave.)
Trade Promotion Authority, aka Fast Track Authority, will short circuit a free and informed public debate and undermine the Constitutional process for Treaty adoption. The Constitution calls for "Advice and Consent" and a 2/3 majority vote by the U.S. Senate. Fast track authorization calls for a Simple Majority vote, limits debate to 20 hours in the House and the Senate, and disallows any amendment to the Treaty.
Speakers: Jeannie Economos, Pesticide Safety and Environmental Health Project Coordinator, Farmworker Association of Florida
Justin Harvey, March Against Monsanto
Cecilia Height, Political Chair for Florida Sierra Club
Rich Hillwig, Community for Change at Walmart, Orlando Light Brigade
Patty Holden, Anthropologist
Victor Sanchez, President, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Secretary, Central Florida AFL-CIO
Reverend Bruce Wright, Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, and Green Shadow Cabinet
Sponsors (please visit and like us on facebook): Central Florida AFL-CIO, Communications Workers of America, local 3108, Floridians against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Orlando Light Brigade. Sierra Club Central Florida Group
What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and why haven't I heard about it?
The TPP is a Secret trade treaty that has been negotiated with input from 600 corporate advisors over the last 5 years. It contains 29 known chapters, only 5 deal with traditional trade issues. The details of the text of the TPP have been kept secret from the people of the United States and from our elected Representatives in Congress. When members of Congress have been allowed to view parts of the TPP they have not been allowed, to have members of their staff in the room, or to take notes, and have been required to have officials of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative looking over their shoulder.
If the American people knew of the TPP and its contents, it would have no chance of being ratified. The Strategy of the TPP backers has been to keep the TPP out of the news, and to avoid details of the contents when it is mentioned. The main stream (corporate owned) press has enforced a virtual blackout on news of the TPP.
Printed in house/labor donated
What will the TPP do if ratified?
(Reprinted from: http://stoptpp.org/thefacts/)
•TPP will offshore millions of good-paying jobs to low-wage nations, undercutting working conditions globally and increasing unemployment.
•TPP will expand pharmaceutical monopoly protections and institute longer patents that will decrease access to affordable medications
•TPP will limit food GMO labeling and allow the import of goods that do not meet US safe standards.
•TPP will institute SOPA, PIPA, and CISPA-like regulations and Internet measures which restrict our right to free speech.
•TPP will roll back Wall Street regulations, and prohibit bans on risky financial services.
•TPP will give multinational corporations and private investors the right to sue nations in private tribunals. These tribunals have the power to overturn environmental, labor, or any other laws that limit profit, awarding taxpayer funded damages.
•TPP will encourage the privatization of lands and natural resources in areas where indigenous people live. (For more details, also see: http://www.exposethetpp.org/)
What is Trade Promotion Authority (Fast track)?
Trade promotion authority is legislative mechanism to avoid the constitutional requirement that International treaties are required to have the "Advise and consent" of a 2/3s majority of the Senate. The framers of the Constitution included this provision because International treaties thump U.S. law and our laws must be rewritten to conform to any International treaties that the U.S. ratifies. How can the Senate "Advise and consent" if debate is limited and no changes can be considered, as required by Trade promotion authority?
Trade Promotion authority limits debate to 20 hours in the House of Representatives (less than 3 minutes per member if time is divided evenly) and 20 hours in the Senate (12 minutes for each Senator if divided evenly). It also limits the time from introduction to final vote to 90 days or less.
The Constitution requires the President to take the following oath: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Senators, Congresspersons, and all Government employees take a similar oath. Any Senator or Congressman that votes for Trade Promotion Authority will be in violation of their oath.
Support the Constitution. Stop Trade Promotion Authorization. Flush the TPP.
Printed in house/labor donated
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