I don’t write many political articles.  It’s not that I don’t have an opinion on the matters, or feel that my opinions don’t hold weight - they do.  It’s just that the topics are always so hotly filled with puerile pedagoguery that I refuse to succumb.

That said, I want to talk about TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Firstly, I don’t agree with Obama on many issues.  I don’t really need to go into all the ones he’s made and positions with which he’s stood, for which I disagree, but they’re often and many.  Despite that, Obama’s stance on TPP and the fast-track need is the first time I’ve truly felt that he’s left his idealism behind, researched and consulted and made a very tough and bold stance.

Now, you could say he’s made many tough and bold stances before, and you would be correct in that argument.  However, he’s never really made a stance where the majority of the Democratic party and his own caucus disagree.  And, for that, I applaud him, and respect him as president much more.  That’s not an easy thing to do and the way he’s gone about the TPP shows serious maturity.

So, about TPP.  It’s going to kill your job!  Sound the alarm!  The sky is going to fall!

The Sky is Falling

It is actually going to kill your job though.  Really, it will.  But that’s okay.  Yep, that’s okay.  It’s not okay in that, you need to lose your job and all is going to be peaches and roses, okay.  It’s okay in that, we’ll still move forward as a country, and you’ll come along as well.

If you’ve been watching things closely, you’ll know that the house just struck down the proposed “Trade Adjustment Assistance” bill.  The purpose of this bill was to provide assistance for you because you’re going to lose your job.  Spearheaded by Nancy Peloci, house democrats defeated the bill with an astonishing 126-302 vote.

Its defeat is the only way we will be able to slow down fast track... [and] ...people would rather have a job than assistance

Why would a president intentionally put forward a bill that’s going to kill your job and then take tax payer’s hard earned dollars and start handing it out to you as pity money?  How does that make sense?

Well, it makes sense in a very real and very scary way.  You just have to actually think a little harder and actually consult and research the topic.  You also have to have some foresight and a desire to want America to remain the most prosperous country on the planet.  You’ll still lose your job though!

Even though you’re going to lose your job and get a pity check in the mail, you’re going to be better off.  Why?  Not because socialism is amazing.  And yes, it’s absolutely a step towards socialism.  But, because you’re going to lose your job anyway.  So why not at least get a check?!

TPP is all about China!  Here is the skinny.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that much of Asia is poised for tremendous growth over the coming decades.  And, when I say tremendous, I mean tremendous.  There are over 10x as many people in Asia as there are in the US.  So, the growth that the US has seen in the past decades, multiply this many many times over.  That’s big, it’s happening and it’s happening with or without the US.

The reason TPP is all about China is because, if the US doesn’t create a free trade deal with all of the countries in Asia to capitalize on this tremendous growth, China will.  China is already geographically and industrially poised to capitalize on this growth, and without a free trade deal with the US, most US companies won’t be able to compete and will lose out on one of the biggest economic opportunities of our lifetime.

Someone has to supply these developing countries with all the supplies needed for their rapid expansion.  This is everything from nuclear power expertise and products to airplanes, cars, and software.  If the US isn’t able to compete by supplying these needed products and services, China will.

Not only is that lost opportunity that would convert to massive tax revenue for the US from company profits, but it also means that China will be able to improve their industries within the market segments that are the most profitable and valuable - the highly specialized markets.  Then, years after they’ve been able to do this, the US is stuck trying to compete with China, not only on manufacturing as we’re doing today, but also on the highly specialized products and services we dominate today.  This would leave the US struggling to remain the most prosperous country in the world, as we compete constantly for trade around the world - not just in Asia.

The depth of all this goes much deeper.  I didn’t even mention the allied axis advantages that could be created from trade partnerships like this.  If TPP doesn’t happen and China becomes the major partner for all of Asia, there is a strength created there that the US wouldn’t be able to break.  China hasn’t exactly been the largest supporter of free speech and human rights either.  From a US and humanity perspective, that’s not a powerhouse alliance desired to be seen.

However, if it does happen, and China gains more specialized industry on top of improved manufacturing, the company you’re working for now with your precious job, isn’t going to be able to pay you nearly what you’re making today, they’ll be competing in an entirely different world.  You’ll lose your job!

So, why not play ball?!  Let’s continue to own the profitable expertise industries and manufacturing, the companies that generate the lion’s share of profits, and reap the rewards as a country.  You’ll lose your job, our powerhouse companies will make mega profits, pay mega taxes, and as a country we’ll be mega wealthy.  In the meantime, you can take that pity check and buy yourself a piece of ownership in these powerhouse companies, or you can sit back and wait to lose your job and cry about it later!

UPDATE - Jun 13, 2015:

The Whitehouse and Obama just released a new “Weekly Address”, urging for support on the new trade bill.  There are certainly some pieces in there to try and appeal to his base, but the message is clear and on point.