Congress is trying to pass a massive corporate power grab. You need to know what's in it.
Meet the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a secretive trade agreement that would let 9,000 foreign corporations bypass the U.S. legal system and force taxpayers to pay them millions. Why would both Congressional Republicans and President Obama support such a naked corporate power grab? Just follow the money.
The TP-What now?
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a massive proposed free-trade deal that would include roughly 40% of the world economy. It's also highly secretive — leaks to the press are the only reason the public has any idea what could be in it.
You down with TPP? (Source: Congressional Research Service)
The TPP lets corporations bypass the domestic legal system.
Imagine if a multinational corporation was accused of something truly reprehensible — like, say, poisoning hundreds of children with faulty mining equipment. What if when the government tried to make them pay for the cleanup, they responded by suing taxpayers for $800 million? And what if instead of filing in a normal court, they were allowed to take their case to a tribunal of three highly paid corporate lawyers whose rulings can never be appealed?
Well, you don't have to imagine — That's exactly what's happening in Peru right now (poisoned children and all):
This is all possible thanks to a process called Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), which is frequently included as a feature of modern free-trade agreements, including the TPP. ISDS cases allow foreign companies to bypass the legal systems of sovereign governments and go straight to an international trade tribunal to demand compensation directly from taxpayers.
It's as bad as it sounds. (Source: The Economist)
It's a policy designed perfectly to infuriate both the American right (ceding U.S. power to tribunals organized by the United Nations and World Trade Organization) and left (giving corporations massive new power to attack everything from environmental policy to public health measures on a global scale). It has drawn heavy criticism from all sides, from Tea Party groups to Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Why is this happening?
How could it be that the TPP, which would open the U.S. to ISDS actions from 9,000 foreign companies, has the support of both congressional Republicans and President Obama?
Here's a hint: The answer rhymes with "$."
Some of the most powerful special interests in Washington — from Hollywood to pharmaceutical companies — are huge fans of the TPP. ISDS is just one of many, many corporate-friendly provisions being pushed by the Obama administration's trade negotiators. Other leaked draft texts have revealed provisions that critics say could sharply increase the cost of prescription drugs, threaten Internet freedom and privacy, and hit American workers with outsourced jobs and lower wages.
The pro-TPP lobby is composed of industries that help raise big money for both Republicans and Democrats, which could explain why major political donors have been given full access to TPP documents even though the Obama administration has made every effort to conceal the details from the public. (Even members of Congress had to jump through hoops to view draft texts.) It also helps that many of the administration's trade negotiators used to work for companies that are now lobbying for the TPP.
They know what's in it. (Source: Maplight)
What happens now?
Congressional leaders recently struck a deal that would give President Obama authority to "fast-track" TPP negotiations, which would help rush the TPP through with extremely limited debate. However, the deal isn't final quite yet.
The TPP's supporters know they have a small window before the public catches on and they lose their chance, which is why they're trying to rush fast-track language through Congress as quickly as possible. Without fast track, the TPP will have to work its way through Congress in the full view of the American public — which means a massive wave of opposition that could derail the entire agreement.
You're telling us. (Source: The New York Times)
It has already cleared two key committees and is headed to the House floor for a likely vote in early May.
If you think the TPP sounds awful, call your member of Congress right this second and demand they make a public statement against fast track. If email is more your speed, you can also send a short message using this form.
And lest you get all cynical on me, remember that the fast-track agreement is very much up in the air and is facing growing opposition from both liberal Democrats and Tea Party Republicans in the House. With enough public attention and pressure, fast track will fall apart, which could derail the entire TPP agreement.
TL;DR
If want to see the TPP stopped, now's your chance. Get calling.
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Communications expert shares the 7-word phrase to shoot down anyone being disrespectful
Try this method next time someone says something rude.
A woman can't believe what she just heard.
Getting caught off guard by a rude comment from a coworker, family member, or total stranger can throw you for a loop. You immediately start wondering how you should respond. Should I insult the person right back or play it cool without stooping to their level? Everyone is going to be thrown by a disrespectful comment at some point, so it’s good to have a response in your back pocket for that moment when it comes.
Communications expert Jefferson Fisher provided a great response that we can all use recently on the Mel Robbins Podcast. Fisher is a Texas board-certified personal injury attorney and one of the most respected voices on argumentation and communication in the world. He is also the bestselling author of The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More.
How to respond to a rude or disrespectful comment
Fisher told Robbins that the first step in responding to the comment is nonverbal. You say nothing. “A lot of silence. So often, if you just wait 10 seconds that you're gonna add distance between what they said and how you're going to respond,” Fisher said. “They're saying this to get something out of you, cause in that moment, they're feeling something, whether it's a fear or an insecurity, whatever it is, you're not going to deliver on that same plane that they are.”
The next step is to let the rude person know that their behavior will not be tolerated in a confident manner.
“So somebody says something disrespectful, you give enough silence to make sure that it's a little awkward, and then you're going to say something to the effect of, ‘That's below my standard for a response.’ All of a sudden, you're now making it clear that what you just said was beneath me. And I don't respond to things that are beneath me in that way.”
Throw it back on them
If you prefer to put someone back on their heels instead of squelching the situation as Fisher recommends, John Bowe, a speech trainer, award-winning journalist, and author of I Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in the Age of DisconnectionI Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in the Age of Disconnection, says that you should respond with a question: “Do you really mean that?”
“Say it with outrage or dripping sarcasm, with raised eyebrows or deadpan calm. It doesn’t matter. This phrase is quietly disarming and deceptively powerful,” Bowe writes for CNBC. Bowe says the response does two great things for you. First, it gives them a chance to reconsider their words because most rude comments are said without thinking. “By responding with curiosity instead of defensiveness, you’re holding up a mirror. Often, that’s all it takes for the other person to walk back their offense,” he writes.
After the person is asked if they meant what they said, they can double down on their rude comment, but they are probably more likely to backpedal or apologize.
Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that, unless you live under a rock, you’ll have to deal with people making rude comments. But the best thing you can do is to prepare yourself to confidently put someone in their place so they’ll think twice about ever being rude to you again.