Comment by jonnybgood | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jonnybgood | Hacker News Reader

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>"Is there no end to what the US Govt will do for large lobby groups?"

This is not an issue. "Large lobby groups" also include organizations such as the EFF, ACLU, unions, and foundations such as the Gates Foundation. And let's not forget the biggest lobby group of all: the American citizenry. If you ever wrote your elected representative to vote a certain way, you are lobbying.

>"...because that would deny its pharma companies a lucrative & desperate market."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't make sense. HIV/AIDS is also a lucrative desperate market with no vaccine currently available. Heck, why is the US okay with malaria being on there even?

Also, wouldn't the Latin-Am governments purchase supplies and any future vaccines from the pharma companies? In a national emergency, the government throws more money at the issue. So, when there is a Chagas vaccine, the Latin-Am government can throw more money at the pharma company who is producing the vaccine. How is the pharma industry benefiting from the US striking out Chagas?

> "Large lobby groups" also include organizations such as the EFF, ACLU, unions, and foundations such as the Gates Foundation. And let's not forget the biggest lobby group of all: the American citizenry.

Gag me with a spoon. This is tendentious Pollyannaism. The EFF and ACLU are tiny compared to first tier lobbying firms, and operate on a fraction of their budgets. If you are not paying to play at the level of tens to hundreds of millions of dollars you can write a note some intern might read and ignore. That's not a functioning representative government.

let's not forget the biggest lobby group of all: the American citizenry

Does the citizenry have the same level of access to negotiating parts of the TPP as the lobby groups who paid admission? IIRC, the citizenry have been completely cut out of the process. They didn't even know the contents of the TPP. What r0h1n possibly implied is that the US Govt backs interests that are paid for.

>Does the citizenry have the same level of access to negotiating parts of the TPP as the lobby groups who paid admission?

If they wanted it, yes.

Are you serious? You do realise that the only reason you've gotten to read this article was because someone leaked the negotiating draft, right?

While lobbying groups have had direct access to the negotiations, it took someone violating confidentiality for journalists to even be able to tell you what's being discussed.

If senator's phone lines were crammed-full of citizens demanding knowledge of the negotiations, then the citizens would get that knowledge. But they don't. No one cares or even knows about this.

When the executive negotiates without Congress's participation, citizens don't get a say in the process. We don't get to review the agreement, or pressure our representatives into changing or rejecting it. However, special industry groups do, including the RIAA, as advisors to USTR.

- http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120508/17174518835/time-t...

P.S. The TPP stands for Trans Pacific Partnership. A US senator means jack shit to someone in Japan, Australia etc.

> "taking measures to protect public health by promoting access to medicines for all"

actually means "break the patent". We did just that here in Brazil in the 90s with some AIDS drugs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_Brazil#Drug_patent...

Okay I see. Thank you for the link.

>And let's not forget the biggest lobby group of all: the American citizenry.

Why do you think the TPP drafts and negotiations were kept secret? Exactly so that only lobby group that should EVER count was kept disenfranchised.

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