Congressman Ken Buck (Denver Post file)
Re: “Ken Buck says he faces “retribution” for trade vote,” June 25 news story.
Rep. Ken Buck was worried that he might be “impeached” as president of the Republican freshman class of Congress because he voted against giving President Obama the authority (known as “fast track”) to negotiate an Asian trade agreement. Of course, giving the president authority to negotiate is not the same as voting for what may eventually be negotiated — each house of Congress has to vote on whether to approve the final deal.
Apparently, instead of examining the merits of fast track, Buck gave as his reason for voting against it his belief that “this president has proven over and over again that he can’t be trusted to make decisions that are good for America.” If others in Congress followed this thinking, no agreements of any kind would ever be negotiated by the executive branch, whether good for America or not.
Buck’s inflexible “if Obama’s for it, I’m against it” attitude is that of a politician, not a statesman.
Craig Eley, Denver
This letter was published in the June 27 edition.While White House propagandists have convinced news media the Trans-Pacific Partnership is an “achievement,” the TPP really betrays the middle class and shows a failure of foreign policy.
Big business leaders and unsuspecting consumers are foaming at the mouth over attractive-sounding “free trade” with Pacific Rim countries. This deception has a destructive price. Many U.S. jobs will be sent overseas, some to totalitarian nations such as Vietnam where the minimum wage is about 60 cents and human rights are violated. Underemployment in the U.S. will increase, because “service” work cannot replace production jobs. Admitting that displaced workers will need help, Congress plans to steal millions from Medicare to pay for this assistance.
Environmental standards — including food and water protections — will be eroded. Domestic laws will be subject to corporate attack from businesses claiming they might lose profits.
The TPP really is a Trojan Horse in the race to the bottom.
Dave Felice, Denver
This letter was published in the June 27 edition.
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