It cost corporations less than $18,000 bucks per vote to get “fast track” passed in the United States Senate.
According to a recent analysis by The Guardian Newspaper, corporate members of the US Business Coalition for TPP donated more than $1.1 million dollars to Senate campaigns in the first quarter of 2015. The average Democrat received about $9,700 dollars and the average Republican raked in almost $20,000.
Although last-minute donations may have increased the price of approval, it looks like corporations got a pretty good deal on fast track and the American people got a raw deal from our lawmakers.
For a measly ten or twenty thousand bucks, U.S. Senators were willing to give up their constitutionally mandated power to modify legislation and hand control of our nation over to their corporate masters.
According to what we know about this massive, secret trade deal, our laws and regulations could be on the chopping block for their impact on corporate profits, and our jobs and sovereignty will be gone as well.
And, don't forget that when those who've lost their jobs apply for help from the so-called Trade Adjustment Assistance program, they'll be receiving those funds our of money that should have gone to pay for Medicare. That's because of a last-minute change to the fast track legislation that took $700 million dollars from seniors' healthcare to pay for the inevitable effects of corporate greed and the TPP.
It seems like every time we turn around we learn about another reason that this trade deal is bad news for our nation. But, that hasn't stopped 65 U.S. Senators from doing the bidding of their corporate masters.
We can't stop pushing Congress to say “No” to the Trans Pacific Partnership, and we must hold accountable those who answer to corporations instead of We, The People.
We may not be able to stop corporations from donating to Congress, but we can stop their money from having any real effect. Let's keep up the fight against SHAFTA, and let's make sure that those who support it find themselves out of work in their next election.
-Thom
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