Are you down with TPP?

[The Minsky Moment]

My opinion is that the likely direct economic benefits are minimal.  As are the disadvantages.  However, voting it down would be a diplomatic embarrassment and hand regional initiative and economic leadership to the PRC.    IMO it's a no brainer to sign.

[lustindarkness]

I'm down with TPP, but I use some Wet Wipes first.

[derspiess]

My opinion is that the likely direct economic benefits are minimal.  As are the disadvantages.  However, voting it down would be a diplomatic embarrassment and hand regional initiative and economic leadership to the PRC.    IMO it's a no brainer to sign.

Agree.

[LaCroix]

Instead, I went online and downloaded a torrent.  Since I am a paid subscriber of HBO, if I were to get sued, I could have a defense there, if corporations bother to sue in Canada, which they don't for now.  With the TPP, I would have been sued by HBO for hundreds of thousands of dollars and "fair use" would not have been a legitimate defense.

how many people have lost to successful lawsuits re: illegal downloading of movies? I recall a few instances re: songs a few years back, and I know companies send settlement offers, but I haven't heard of anyone losing a lawsuit in this area.

[CountDeMoney]

My opinion is that the likely direct economic benefits are minimal.  As are the disadvantages.  However, voting it down would be a diplomatic embarrassment and hand regional initiative and economic leadership to the PRC.    IMO it's a no brainer to sign.

This and a bag of chips.

[celedhring]

My opinion is that the likely direct economic benefits are minimal.  As are the disadvantages.  However, voting it down would be a diplomatic embarrassment and hand regional initiative and economic leadership to the PRC.    IMO it's a no brainer to sign.

The Japanese seem to be putting a lot of stock on it. Although they may just be grasping at straws at this point, economy-wise.

[Valmy]

My opinion is that the likely direct economic benefits are minimal.  As are the disadvantages.  However, voting it down would be a diplomatic embarrassment and hand regional initiative and economic leadership to the PRC.    IMO it's a no brainer to sign.

Agree.

Yet you cheer on Bernie

[derspiess]

Yep.

[Liep]

I'm Jaron on this but against the TTIP.

Why?

Equalising (or what you would call it) on environment standards or consumer protection could leave the EU pretty poorly battered. And the fact that companies can sue individual countries for lost profits if they think the countries' consumer laws prohibit them from entering that market is another detail I don't care very much for.

I haven't read the agreement, but just heard this from a pro EU and free-trade politician that is worried about the TTIP.

[Josquius]

TTIP in theory is ok. There's too much being made of how it will fuck everything up and force us to privatise health  care and generally go back to victorian times.
I trust the EU to negotiate well to exclude the nasty stuff like that. I also don't think the US is particularly concerned about those markets, it would like them included of course but isn't going to throw away the more innocent stuff for it.
The most telling part of ttip is negotiations are taking a long time.
Though I do wish free movement of people was central to it.

Tpp....don't know as much about it though I feel similar. As long as countries aren't been brought down to Americas level then reducing trade barriers is good.

[Maladict]

I'm not against trade agreements. But healthcare, education and other public services have no place in a trade agreement.
And like Liep said, lowering of environmental and safety standards is a serious concern.

If any of those make it into the final TTIP draft I'm confident the government will veto it, if only to prevent the embarrassment of another referendum.

[viper37]

Instead, I went online and downloaded a torrent.  Since I am a paid subscriber of HBO, if I were to get sued, I could have a defense there, if corporations bother to sue in Canada, which they don't for now.  With the TPP, I would have been sued by HBO for hundreds of thousands of dollars and "fair use" would not have been a legitimate defense.

how many people have lost to successful lawsuits re: illegal downloading of movies? I recall a few instances re: songs a few years back, and I know companies send settlement offers, but I haven't heard of anyone losing a lawsuit in this area.

In the US, I don't know.  In Canada, it was left in a grey void until last January after being thrown out of court by a judge.  Since then, there has not been any pursuit I am aware of, except for "real" pirates, meaning people who stole digital content from cable and uploaded a stream to be accessible from the internet for 5$/month.  Nothing like the RIAA sueing a family mother for zillions of dollars.

But it could happen.  With TPP, it's going to be easier for American copyright holders to sue canadian citizens, I fear.

[viper37]

I'm not against trade agreements. But healthcare, education and other public services have no place in a trade agreement.
And like Liep said, lowering of environmental and safety standards is a serious concern.

If any of those make it into the final TTIP draft I'm confident the government will veto it, if only to prevent the embarrassment of another referendum.

You know, I keep hearing the same argument over&over since Canada signed a bilateral free trade agreement with the US.  Our hospitals will be privatized, our schools will be privatized, the government will be forced to accept American babysitter multinationals to operate the kindergardens, etc, etc.

Did not happen until now, doubt it will ever happen.

[The Brain]

Is TPP the sickness?

[Maladict]

Did not happen until now, doubt it will ever happen.

Then why try to include it? It only increases the public's opposition to it.