TRADE: Don't fall into TPA trap

What’s so bad about free trade? Doesn’t it help everyone involved to have freer access to goods and services in an open marketplace? Isn’t that the basis of our entire economy? Why do some keep harping on the approaching “partnership” arrangements currently being secretly negotiated by the Obama administration and its globalist cronies in Big Business and Big Banking? Well, mostly because it’s important, and it’s something we can stop.

You see, both the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are not “free trade” in the strict sense of the term, and it is disingenuous to refer to them as such, since it misdirects attention from the fact that these are actually political and economic “integration” schemes aimed at undermining national sovereignty in favor of “international governance.”

The monetary and political integration process is a very important reason why both of these deals are referred to as “partnerships.” They are not about “free trade” and increasing our exports at all, but deal with a multitude of issues — from alternative energy, regulatory coherence, sustainable development and immigration, to homeland security, global military intervention, intellectual property, copyright enforcement, Internet control/censorship — and much more.

We must ask our Representatives to exercise their constitutional prerogative and resist this usurpation by the White House of Congress’ commerce powers by denying him “fast track” Trade Promotion Authority. Please urge Crapo, Risch and Labrador to vote no on TPA.

DENNIS FULLER

Orofino