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posted by takyon on Wednesday June 24 2015, @10:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the fast-news dept.

From EFF:

The U.S. Senate has paved the way for the passage of Fast Track legislation, to give the White House and the U.S. Trade Representative almost unilateral power to negotiate and finalize secret anti-user trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Yesterday a "cloture" vote was held—this was a vote to end debate on Fast Track and break any possibility for a filibuster, and it passed by the minimum votes needed—60 to 37. Today, the Senate voted to pass the legislation itself. TPP proponents only needed 51 votes, a simple majority, to actually pass the bill, and they got it in a 60 to 38 vote. Following months and months of campaigning, Congress has ultimately caved to corporate demands to hand away its own constitutional mandate over trade, and the President is expected to the sign the bill into law as early as tonight or later this week.

Here's the previous story.

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by subs on Thursday June 25 2015, @01:34AM

    by subs (4485) on Thursday June 25 2015, @01:34AM (#200711)

    You can't do anything about it. Your primary democratic tool, your vote, is worthless. Both parties are wholly-owned subsidiaries of industry and no amount of voting, whether third party or not, will get you any change.

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2015, @03:08AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2015, @03:08AM (#200759)

    What is really sad about that is how many educated people believe votes matter. It is like those sorry SOBs that go into the military thinking their service and death means something. If only people read their history and listen to the generations that already figured this out.

    • (Score: 2) by Zz9zZ on Thursday June 25 2015, @03:51AM

      by Zz9zZ (1348) on Thursday June 25 2015, @03:51AM (#200779)

      I was about to post something similar. Votes only matter on some specific issues, mostly local, and even then its a crap shoot against corporate lobbying. I've been chuckling (sadly) to myself for a while now when people get all upset over non-voters.

      --
      ~Tilting at windmills~
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2015, @05:01AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2015, @05:01AM (#200793)

    Know what gets a politician's attention?
    A flood of telephone calls to his office.
    (DO NOT email.)

    The Capitol switchboard is 1(866)220-0044 toll-free.
    In DC it's (202)224-3121.
    If you don't know your guy's name, just give your zip code and you'll be put through to his office.
    Tell his folks what you think.
    Have everybody you know do likewise.
    Make him aware that you are all watching him closely on this make-or-break issue (with the implication that, if he muffs it, the lot of you will actively work for his defeat|recall).

    This is where neighborhood groups, community groups, clubs, bowling leagues, etc. can be useful.
    If the group hasn't met recently|won't meet soon, use a cascading notification tree with fall-through and redundancy to make sure -everybody- knows what's happening.

    This advice comes from Ralph Nader who knows a thing or 2 about how to get stuff done WRT gov't.

    -- gewg_