The TISA negotiations are no small matter; they encompass an immense chunk of our economy and have the potential to eviscerate many of our constitutional checks and balances, as well as launch a new tidal wave of job outsourcing. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office says that services “account for three-quarters of U.S. GDP and 4 out of 5 jobs in the United States.” The targeted sectors include banking and financial services, legal services, accounting, insurance, engineering, software design, teaching, real estate, tourism, consulting, energy distribution, transportation, telecommunications, courier and postal services, and a great deal more.
Under our U.S. constitutional system, the national government in Washington, D.C., is restricted to the exercise of specific, delegated powers having to do primarily with national defense, diplomacy, postal service, etc. The individual states reserved to themselves the vast majority of powers concerning criminal and civil law, commercial relations, contracts, business regulation, professional standards and licensing, etc. Each of our 50 states enacts its own laws and regulations governing these matters. TISA would strip those powers from state and local governments and transfer them to regional tribunals and the WTO.
