In about a week Round #3 of NAFTA renegotiations begin in Canada.  Dispute settlement and country of origin rules are widely anticipated to be key points of disagreement.

For those who follow trade and economics closely, the latest Trump trade policy outline from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is buckets of good news. President Trump, Commerce Secretary Ross and USTR Lighthizer willing to confront the World Trade Organization (WTO), the epicenter of multinational economics and globalism.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The WTO dispute settlement system is “deficient” and has often ruled in favor of free trade that overlooks details of a trade agreement, U.S. trade envoy Robert Lighthizer said on Monday.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Lighthizer, a trade lawyer, made clear that the administration was poised to push for major changes to the global trade system during upcoming meetings of the Geneva-based trade body. WTO member countries will meet in Buenos Aires on Dec 10.

U.S. President Donald Trump called the World Trade Organization a “disaster” during his presidential campaign and his administration has sought to unilaterally go after countries like China that it thinks is breaking trade rules.

“There are a number of issues on which there is pretty broad agreement that the WTO dispute settlement understanding is deficient,” said Lighthizer, highlighting problems with WTO staffing and transparency.

“The United States sees numerous examples where the dispute settlement process over the years has really diminished what we’ve bargained for or imposed obligations that we do not believe we agree to,” he said.

He added: “There have been a lot of cases in the trade remedies laws where in my opinion the decisions are really indefensible.”

Since its launch in 1995 the WTO has become the main venue for resolving trade disputes between countries. The Trump administration has begun to launch trade investigations under statutes seldom used in the WTO era, including a “Section 301” probe of China’s intellectual property practices.

Lighthizer did not threaten a U.S. withdrawal from the WTO, but emphasized his own dissatisfaction with some of its rulings.

In a letter in March, the Trump administration made clear that U.S. law supersedes WTO rules — a view that could be invoked should Congress adopt policies that are later challenged by other member countries as violating WTO rules.

“We’ve had tax laws struck down, we’ve had other provisions where the WTO has taken…the decision they were going to strike down something they thought shouldn’t happen, rather than looking at the agreement as a contract,” he said.

Lighthizer emphasized that the Trump administration was reviewing all trade agreements and would seek to renegotiate those that did not benefit U.S. workers and businesses.

“I believe, and I think the president believes, that we must be proactive,” he said, “We must demand reciprocity in home and international markets. So expect change, expect new approaches and expect action.” (link)

This stuff is beyond ridiculous at this point.  Remember, there are trillions of dollars at stake and all of the vested financial interests, writ large, have positioned themselves to do anything possible to draw down the support for President Trump’s ‘America-First’ agenda.

Don’t kid yourselves or sell your intelligence short; it ain’t about Donald Trump per se’, the opposition is against the policies of President Donald Trump.  Trump’s ‘America-First’ policies are adverse to the interests of multinational corporations and the multinational financial institutions who underwrite those corporations. Yes, this includes Rupert Murdoch, aka “Mr. Wall Street”, the proprietor of the Wall Street Journal and all around self-indulgent billionaire.

The latest approach is for the Wall Street Journal to write an article about Trump reconsidering pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement based on, wait for it…. the conversations with an “EU official”. Un huh.   “International Climate Officials” they say. Ohhh… Journalistic standards now dispatched and not even an inquiry to the White House prior to publication.  Go figure. {{{eyeroll}}}

Seriously folks, if we want to help President Trump and the agenda we voted for, then inoculate yourself -and your family- from this ridiculous corporate media ‘gaslighting’.

It’s lower than fake news, it’s horse-pucky news.

If President Trump was flinching, if president Trump was even positioned toward the place where flinching begins, I swear to you CTH would be all over it like bluebottle flies on a flattened possum.  He ain’t, and we’re not.

COMMENT – “I’m not an educated person. I never graduated high school. I got my GED because the Army wouldn’t let me join without either a diploma or a GED. Went to basic training at Ft. Benning when I was 17. Did a tour in Iraq when I was 18 and 19. It was not a pleasant experience. After my tour, I got discharged for what I will euphemistically call “medical reasons”, if you catch my drift.

Hard times followed. I was basically homeless for a while. Lived in a friend’s van for about a year. I felt like that guy in that “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” movie when he said, “Things just seem to get worse and worse and nobody knows what to do about it”. I felt like the Forgotten Man. I was hopeless. My spirit was crushed. I had pretty much given up.

That all changed for me in June of 2015. I saw a man and his beautiful wife come down the escalator. I saw a man who, like me, was as mad as hell. And he really really wasn’t going to take it anymore. I saw a man who stood up fearlessly against everything that was wrong in the world. I saw a man who gave up a life of luxury to be slandered and threatened every day. I saw a man who was a cheerleader, not for the lobbyists and donors, but for people like me. I thank God for sending this man. Things were getting worse and worse alright. But here was a man who knew what to do about it.

Day one I was hooked. I said, “This is it. This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is my guy. He’s fighting for me, so I’m fighting for him. I’m all in.” And since that day I have never seen that man waver. He has never let me down. And I hope I never let him down.

This movement has been an incredible journey. Everyday is a wild ride and I’ve loved every minute of it. And there’s so much more to come. I look forward to every day now. I wake up with a smile on my face every day because Donald J. Trump is my President.

Sorry to get so personal, but for me this is personal. I’ve never met the man, but Donald J. Trump is more than just my President. He’s my friend.

Call me a fanboy, call me a cheerleader, call me whatever you want. You bet I’m a cheerleader for my President, my friend. He lifted my spirit in a way I didn’t think possible. He gave me hope. He inspires me everyday. I intend to be his biggest cheerleader. It’s the least I can do. Frankly, I don’t know where I’d be without him.

I don’t feel like the Forgotten Man anymore. I have a friend. And he lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I’m proud of my President. I’m proud of my friend. I stand with him 100%. (link)