No on trade deal
As a proud resident of Madera, I’ve been mostly happy to have Jim Costa as my congressman for the last several years. I’ve voted for him in each election and even volunteered with his campaign office. I wish he were more transparent with his thought process, but his votes usually fall in line with my values.
I’m sad to say that his upcoming votes and my upcoming votes are likely to oppose each other, however.
The speculation about this huge, corporate “trade deal” is scaring me. Ask the congressman, he knows all about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I’ve read some horrific things about TPP on Wikileaks. Child labor and human trafficking is commonplace for many of the 12 countries involved.
The talking heads on cable TV are blindly supporting TPP, a 1,200-page document that can be accessed by only a handful of people in the country.
What’s even more baffling is why the vote is being expedited. First, it’s secret, now it’s being rushed to vote? Apparently Congress has invented a way to “fast-track” trade deals by skipping the amendment process.
If he calls this democracy, Congressman Costa has lost more than my vote.
Carey Wilson, Madera
This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 4:17 AM with the headline "No on trade deal."