Lawmakers, labor leaders line up against TPP

Lawmakers, union leaders and fair trade activists converged on Capitol Hill late yesterday to again ramp up opposition to the terrible Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as Congress heads back to work for 2016.

Rep. DeLauro speaks out against the TPP yesterday.

As President Obama gets ready to unveil his agenda for his final year in office tonight, opponents of the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade pact made it clear that approval of the deal won't do anything to help the U.S. economy. Instead, it will lead to further lost of jobs due to good jobs being shipped overseas.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) took aim at false claims that the TPP would create new jobs, and cited a recently released Tufts University report that actually estimates it would directly lead to nearly 450,000 lost American jobs as proof. She urged attendees not to give up the fight:

It is clear our concerns have been ignored. Yet we cannot offer any amendments [on TPP]. So we must defeat it.

Meanwhile, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced a paper mill employee from his district who has lost his job three times in recent years due to lousy trade deals. He said workers across this country find themselves in similar situations and the only way to stop more from suffering a similar fate is to defeat TPP:

This is not a sustainable model for the United States. ... This is a race to the bottom.

The Teamsters join in support of elected and labor leaders speaking out against TPP. The union has long stood against this very bad trade deal because it will only pad the wallets of the richest few, not lift the economic fortunes of everyday Americans.

Later today, the President is expected to talk at length about this trade deal. But Congress ultimately will have the final say on its future later this year. Whether it's because the TPP will further bloat the nation's trade deficit; allow foreign corporations to challenge U.S. laws; permit unsafe food and products to raid American stores; or drive up the cost of medicines, there are no shortage of reasons why this trade deal should be defeated.

It's time to take a stand.

Social Security: "Like a Milk Cow with 310 Million Tits"

The source of that comment, sadly, is not just some wingnut off the street. It's former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson, the co-chairman of President Obama's deficit commission. He has suggested the deficit commission will recommend cutting back Social Security to reduce the deficit.

CBS News reported that Simpson wrote the offensive comment in an e-mail to Ashley Carson, the executive director of the Older Women's League. Simpson wrote Carson that he spent many years trying to stabilize Social Security. However, he wrote,

"Yes, I've made some plenty smart cracks about people on Social Security who milk it to the last degree. You know 'em too. It's the same with any system in America. We've reached a point now where it's like a milk cow with 310 million tits!"

Dean Baker points out that Simpson is not only crude but clueless. Baker says

Simpson seemed surprised by what should have been old hat to anyone familiar with the policy debate on Social Security.

and

Simpson's public remarks also seem to show very little knowledge of the financial situation of the elderly or near elderly.

Baker notes Simpson doesn't realize that the baby-boomers nearing retirement have had most of their savings wiped out by the collpase of the housing bubble and the stock market.

And finally, Baker points out that Simpson doesn't seem to have a clue as to the type of work that most older people are doing.

While it is possible for senators to continue in their jobs late in life, nearly half of older workers have jobs that are either physically demanding or require they work in difficult conditions.

Here's what you need to know about Social Security: The shortfall is relatively small and far into the future.

Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote a letter on Wednesday asking President Obama to fire Simpson from the commission.

“While there are honest differences of opinion as to how best to tackle this growing problem, we should all be in agreement that everyon working in this area – especially someone in as important a position as the co-chair of your National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform – has a responsibility to be as serious, deliberate, and sober as the challenges we face."

Yesterday, The New York Times reports Simpson isn't going anywhere.

Damn.