Then it can be analyzed.

one could miss--though there are still deniers. The first trade is not going to show us the consequences.

A coward dies a thousand deaths, but a hero, only one....

but I'm not sure that it's wisdom, not cowardice, bringing about the heebee jeebees.

Till those consequences show, folks will be awful nervous. Especially those like me who remember the wonderful stores and family manufacturing places that closed on Route 30, PA. They had buses going from all over eastern PA to western PA on buying trips to places that sold Bobby Brooks among other great products.

And the truckers going from Mexico to Canada...

At my age, I won't see it happen. Don't know if I'm happy or sad about that.

The only positive thing to come out of NAFTA for me personally was that we can get great grapes all year round now from Mexico instead of just the fall from CA and NY.

My advice to you: Focus on the grapes.

Only the fast track authority has passed. TPP is not even in its final form at this point. When it is, Congress will get 90 days to study it, and then will vote yes or no on it. The only thing that has passed is TPA, which prevents Congress from adding amendments to a multi-national negotiated agreement and enables its acceptance by a simple majority vote.

There's a lot of misunderstanding out there about this.

and it was TPA holding things up...

But maybe what I'm remembering is the hearing (Hatch) where it passed...

Does CSPAN have a calendar list of what was offered as bills, where, the House or Senate? and the votes on each of the TPP proposals?

I know there was another one that didn't pass - the one that gave aid or training to displaced workers. I think it was part of a bribe to the left that didn't work..

I pay so much attention to the complaints about TPP that I haven't taken the time to get it all straightened out in my mind..

There's a lot of confusion about this, and even some posters who write a lot about TPP confuse the issue.

TPA is just now passing. That is the Fast Track legislation. TAA is the next to be voted on. That provides funding for retraining for workers whose jobs are lost due to TPP, if it is agreed to. As with all multi-national trade agreements, there will be jobs lost in the US in certain industries. TAA is supposed to help with retraining. There will be other industries that will see job growth. It's always a mix of good and bad.

TPP is in the final stages of being negotiated and a final version being agreed to by the nations who are part of the agreement. When the final wording is complete, which could still take a couple of years, the entire agreement will be presented to Congress. They will have 90 days to study the agreement, and then will vote on whether the US will be bound by it. Congress cannot make changes in it, because of the TPA. A simple majority vote will be needed, because of the TPA. Right now, there is no TPP to vote on. There is only a draft of it, which is still being negotiated and revised. It's not available for public review. When it is finalized, it will be available, but not until then. There may be sections that will be classified, though.

It's complicated to follow, and a lot of what is posted about all of this is incorrect or poorly stated. People are confused about it. That leads to people not making informed decisions.

Personally, I am neither for or against it. I want to know what is in it. Then I'll take a position. Here's the bottom line, though: There will almost certainly be a TPP agreement, and Congress will almost certainly vote to accept it. That is the reality. We actually do need trade agreements between nations, and this is one of those. Will it always be advantageous to the US? No. Will some of it be advantageous to the US? Yes. Which parts will be either, I cannot say. Neither can anyone else. We won't know, really, until it has been in effect for a few years.

Is it important? Yes, it is. Will protests against it stop the TPP from being completed? No, they will not.

I am printing this as we speak - a guide to what I can't remember, what votes to look for on C-Span, and am finally starting to realize that all the countries involved have to have their say before TPP is approved and anything can happen and it may not even pass...

We may not even be the country that decides not to go with it if too many obstacles are put in our way.

What an exciting time for people, especially in their 40's and 50's, to have seen so much history and what's yet to come.

Thanks again .

Posts on DU are often confusing. People who have strong positions on issues often don't post complete information or are even confused about the mechanics of things themselves.

It can be difficult to know exactly what is actually going on without doing some research at unbiased sources. I often use Wikipedia to dig into these things. It's not always 100% accurate all the time, but when errors occur, someone fixes them quickly. When things change, it gets updated very quicklly. It also tries very hard to not show any bias, particularly for major issues and subjects.

Anyhow, it's a good way to get a quick overview of what's going on.

Here's the main article on TPP there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership

Reading has gotten difficult with cataract surgery a few years ago, vision is changing again..

Also am very forgetful. Should write stuff down, but I can't even read my own writing because I swear somebody switched my fingers when I was asleep.

I will bother you again, friend.

I'm not always online, but am during the day most times. Call on me anytime.