Trade Sell-Out: Out of the Mouths of Citizens...

Mike & Friends Blog

Alan Grayson

Congressman Alan Grayson was born and grew up in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City.

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May 16th, 2013 6:55 AM

Trade Sell-Out: Out of the Mouths of Citizens...

If you have received my emails for a while, you know that I sometimes refer to you all, affectionately, as "Alan's Army." You are passionate, smart and dedicated. But last week you were something else: Amazing.

I told you about a proposed partnership between multinational corporations and their sellout tools in government (aka the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). The TTIP features "investor-state" dispute resolution, which invites huge corporations to file lawsuits to prevent government actions that they just don't like, such as health and safety regulations. Similar trade agreements have allowed the World Trade Organization to strike down country-of-origin meat labels, dolphin-safe tuna labels and limits on candy-flavored cigarettes marketed to kids.

I asked you to send your thoughts to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), who will help decide whether to enter into this corrupt abridgement of American sovereignty.

Alan's Army responded -- and how! In all, 9,625 of us submitted comments. Let me tell you how our response stacks up. Before we got involved, the USTR received only 113 comments in 88 days -- many from corporate lobbyists. We added almost 100 times that amount, in a little more than 24 hours. Again, amazing.

Now, let's make our voices heard again. Tomorrow the House Ways and Means Committee, the committee with jurisdiction over trade, will hold a hearing on the TTIP. I plan to deliver a letter to the Committee expressing my disdain for this betrayal, and more specifically, that 30-pieces-of-silver investor-state dispute resolution clause. You can join me.

Click hereto sign my letter opposing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

I would love to have 10,000 citizen soldiers of the Alan's Army on board. You did it once. Can you do it again?

And please, share this with your friends. We want our Army to grow.

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

P.S. Some of you responded with eloquence. Others with anger. And a few of you were just plain nasty (and you know how much I enjoy that). Here are a few of my favorite comments:

As Thomas Jefferson put it, "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." - Paul from Sharon, MA

Corporations are running this world already. They need to be severed at the knees. This is Fascism, plain and simple. - Ralph from Blackduck, Minnesota

SERIOUSLY? YOU MUST BE COMPLETELY CRAZY TO CONSIDER ALLOWING CORPORATIONS TO SUE GOVERNMENTS! CRAZY OR EVIL. - Georgia from Novato, CA

I am opposed to this misnamed trade agreement in its entirety. It should more properly be called a cowardly corporate surrender document. - Jim from Ballston Spa, NY

American citizens can afford no further capitulation to greed-driven economics and legislation. It is time for those who have always bought their solutions to finally learn the word "No" lest we slip further into ownership by corporate powers and cease to be a nation of the people for the people. - Christina from Maplewood, MN

I am dead set against this agreement and the Trans Pacific agreement as well. What the hell are you guys smoking, anyway? - Bryan from West Linn, OR

I smell NAFTA (NO AMERICAN FACTORIES TAKING APPLICATIONS) and GATT (GANGSTERS AGREEMENT ON TRADE AND TARIFFS). - Mike from Seattle, WA

This is unconscionable! Why are we even considering this? Oh, I forgot...corporations are now more important than people. NOT!!! - Dee from Madison, WI

This is the worst of all the stupidest things I have ever heard of. - Stephen from
Rochester, NY

If this insanity continues I will start pledging allegiance to the United Corporation of America! - Cornelius from West Amherst, NY

Unbelievable. Did Mitt Romney start this piece of crap? - Thomas from Phoenix, AZ