• “Ring those phones off the hook,” fair trade advocate says
Dave Ferriman of Economy in Crisis, a patriotic, anti-free trade outfit based in Dublin, Ohio, told AMERICAN FREE PRESS January 8 that it’s critically important for AFP readers to ring the phones off the hook in Congress to increase advance opposition to the growing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
This globalist pact is a “super-NAFTA” treaty that the United States Trade Representative is keeping close to its chest. As a result, legislators will not be able to read the TPP until it’s time for Congress to vote on the biggest trade and banking pact ever.
Ferriman is preparing for his annual spring “trade” visit to congressional offices in partnership with the Coalition for a Prosperous America.
He said a key thing to take into account about this broad pact is that it protects powerful banking interests, as well as being a trade pact that may supersede the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), if the three NAFTA parties—the U.S., Canada and Mexico—were to all join the TPP.
If the U.S. joins the TPP—an existing entity that already has 11 member-nations—then any antitrust laws passed by the U.S. against banks or reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act could be struck down under the TPP. “Forced bailouts,” even of banks not on U.S. soil, could also become a reality.
“[Legislators] won’t have time to read it once it’s in front of them,” said Ferriman. “That’s why advance opposition must be created.”
President Obama favors the TPP. The U.S. Trade Representative will only release it to Congress with Obama’s approval, as Ferriman understands the situation.
Unfortunately for the U.S., these free trade deals are lopsided in favor of cheap imports from countries like China. By eliminating levies at the border, the U.S. government is killing domestic industry, stifling production and still must collect revenue through taxing citizens and businesses.
By comparison, many other nations tax imports at a significantly higher rate than the U.S. does. This relieves their domestic economies of some of the tax burden by generating significant income from tariffs.
The conclusion then is that these nations have store shelves consisting mainly of domestic-made goods—while America, despite some improvements in domestic manufacturing for home markets, is still China’s main “outlet mall.”
To call any member of Congress and talk to someone in his/her office, dial 202-224-3121 or try 202-225-3121. Always contact their district and state offices as well. Your influence counts.
