TV: “TPP and Other ‘Free Trade’ Schemes Endanger Us All”

For decades now, presidents and Congresses of both big political parties have been pushing for “free trade” schemes that promise jobs and prosperity. But – when enacted – these schemes have actually produced the opposite.

For example, Democrat Bill Clinton pushed for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and expanding the World Trade Organization (WTO). Republican George W. Bush pushed for several “free trade schemes.” Democrat Barack Obama pushed Bush’s plans to completion, and Obama is pushing hard to complete the huge Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) involving a dozen Pacific Rim nations.

Mainstream politicians – and mainstream news media – simply assume that these “free trade” schemes are good and fail to adequately consider their serious problems.

The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s June 2016 TV program does examine their problems. We expose the problems that politicians and main-stream news media have been refusing to deal with.

Instead of “free” trade we need “fair” trade – trade that really protects workers, consumers, environments, human rights, and democracy.

Our TV guest is Gillian Locascio, Director of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition, a statewide coalition that includes about 60 member organizations, including labor, environment, human rights, faith-based and many other kinds of community organizations. She is a real expert on the issue of “free trade,” and she provides solid in-formation and fascinating insights.

Gillian has a strong background in community development, Latin American environmental and economic realities, etc. She saw problems first-hand while working in Panama, and elsewhere. She is seeing many problems in recent and pending “free trade” deals. Her experience gave her an empirical basis for the knowledge and analysis she shared with us on TV.

To watch the 1-hour interview, CLICK HERE.

To read a thorough summary of what we said — and see the list of great resources at the end — CLICK HERE.

About GlenAnderson 1499 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org