Sooner or later, these spectacles will lose their excitement and Capitol Hill will come back to this reality: The economy is still broken. So why not start fixing it now?
What do a zombie, handcuffs, a steamroller and a legislative luge run for job-killing trade agreements all have in common? They're all apt metaphors of an expired, scandalously anti-democratic procedure called Fast Track.
Many hope an agreement on the TPP will provide a much-needed boost to a still prostrate global economy, but what is being widely hailed as profound progress in the evolution of trade integration globally is having the opposite effect in Latin America.
It will be sold as a trade agreement (because everyone knows that "trade" is good) but much of it appears to be (from what we know) a corporate end-run around things We the People want to do to reign in the giant corporations -- like Wall Street regulation, environmental regulation and corporate taxation.
It's no surprise an administration as tied to Wall Street as this one is taking the side of the financial sector. But it's even worse: If the administration has its way, neither Congress nor any government official, elected or appointed, would have any say in the matter.
Contrary to the administration's claims of its export-expansion prowess, the steep decline in U.S. exports to Korea under the FTA contributed to an overall disappointing U.S. export performance in 2012.
We don't need to pivot to Asia. We need to pivot to America and tell the multinational chieftains to stop selling China the rope it's using to hang us.
What change in Colombia could possibly have led a Democratic president to implement a trade agreement over the objections of Democrats in Congress with the country infamous around the world for its violence against unionists?
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is pursuing a free trade agreement with the European Union that would grant corporations new political power to...
Transparency -- a basic principle of our democracy -- is crucial, particularly as the trade deal continues to inflate. We must have a meaningful chance to engage in how our trade and energy rules are set before it's too late.
Imagine a thought experiment, where we put environmentalists in each country in charge of negotiating the next trade agreement. Preposterous! I know. Stick with me.
Did you notice the two rabid skunks President Obama unleashed at the State of the Union picnic?
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to urge the United States to pass two key trade agreements, inc...
On Monday the World Trade Organization (WTO) officially authorized Caribbean nation Antigua to sell $21 million in "pirated" U.S.-copyrighted music, films and computer programs in retaliation for the United States failing to comply with a 2005 WTO order to allow online gambling here. Say what?
Everyone I know is in favor of trade done right. But global trade agreements go overboard in protecting investor rights.
A strong environment chapter is certainly not the only part of a trade agreement necessary to protect our land, water, and natural resources, but it is especially critical when viewed in historical context and in the current context of the TPP negotiations.
In an election dominated by the urgent agenda of U.S. job creation, it is a sorry statement about the domination of corporate money in American elections that both presidential candidates tout NAFTA-style "free trade" deals.
Guaranteeing a fair local wage would empower developing countries to raise their labor standards. By improving the conditions and livelihood of foreign workers the Trans-Pacific Partnership can create new markets and stimulate world economic growth.
The US needs to be the model for online freedom not just for countries that want to restrict it, per se, but also seek to and impose new restrictions for many seemingly noble reasons to combat social ills.
I've just returned from another round of Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact negotiations, held in Leesburg, Virginia.
If the U.S. fails to secure high IP standards in the new trade arrangements it enters into, the future banquet of consequences will present a bleak feast for its workers and economy.
A variety of factors contribute to the optimal policy environment for promoting the cloud, as BSA has documented in our Global Cloud Computing Scorecard. The TPP offers its participants a chance to get some of the biggest ones right -- and the world will be watching.
While the GOP and Democratic conventions highlight the differences between the parties, there are some bipartisan issues -- and one of the biggest is taking care of corporate interests.
While the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) does strive to include the high standards necessary for a "21st century" trade agreement, I believe that the potential inclusion of Japan in the negotiations is not in the best interest of the United States.
Because of the direct link between trade and the environment, it's essential that our trade agreements enhance our standards for environmental protection.
