[zanny]

Those writing the TPP have no interest in passing any of the profits of these trade deals off to impoverished third world nations to enrich their societies.

If you want a mutually beneficial trade agreement, you don't need secret meetings or a rush to get it through congress.

[thedaveoflife]

The reason it is kept secret is presumably because the general public has difficulty seeing the ancillary benefits (reduction of trade barriers) and pays close attention to the obvious drawbacks (IP rights for "evil" corporations). This contention is fairly well supported by a cursory read through this or any other internet thread about a trade agreement.

Whether the good in the TPP outweighs the bad is an open question that I don't have an answer to. I am just trying to provide some counter arguments to an otherwise one-sided discussion on here.

[stephengillie]

That's an incredibly weak justification, and it comes off as patronizing. You're telling me that they have to hide when they do trade deals, because people might object to the concessions?

So you're going to commit is to something we didn't agree to? That's exactly why we need transparency.

And who decides who gets to make these deals? "Oh let us decide for you." No, you'll make a decision I don't want.

[lugg]

They must be some pretty weak and nuanced ancillary benefits if you're unable to explain them in such a way this "dumb" populace can understand the trade offs.

> Whether the good in the TPP outweighs the bad is an open question that I don't have an answer to. I am just trying to provide some counter arguments to an otherwise one-sided discussion on here.

Its not an open question, its a closed, hidden question we don't get access to, let alone any answers to.

This is a one-sided discussion because it is a one-sided situation.