But you know how government works – they say it’s secret, so they won’t discuss it even if it’s printed on the front page of the New York Times. Your congresscritter may be permitted to read it, but he can’t take an assistant in to read it with him, nor is he allowed to take notes, nor is he allowed to tell anyone else what he read, so he’s pretty much powerless to object to any specific item in it. Even if he was not, the Fast Track bill was intended to move the whole thing through so quickly that nobody had a chance to debate it and raise any amendments.
Free Trade Is Not the Enemy
If we don’t set the rules for commerce in the Asia-Pacific region, China will.
.. But if the TPP passes, the poorer countries in the pact will have to conform more to the standards of the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and South Korea — all signatories to the proposed deal.