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'I'm not plotting with Dutton': Abbott
Australia

'I'm not plotting with Dutton': Abbott

File Image of Tony Abbott
Former prime minister Tony Abbott says he isn't plotting anything along with Peter Dutton. Source: AAP

Former prime minister Tony Abbott says he's not working with Liberal colleague Peter Dutton against Malcolm Turnbull, after his 30th losing Newspoll.

Tony Abbott has denied he's in cahoots with Peter Dutton to bring down Malcolm Turnbull.

The former prime minister was quizzed on his relationship with the home affairs minister after a week of debate over migration levels.

"I admire (Peter) as a bloke and I respect him as a politician so I guess we would naturally be inclined to think along similar lines," Mr Abbott told 2GB radio on Sunday.

"So it doesn't surprise me that Peter has been pushing for a reduction in the migration intake."

Further prompted on whether there are any quiet evening meetings between the pair, working their cards, Mr Abbott said: "No that's not how it works in this business."

"Peter is an honourable man and the last thing that he would do is sit down with a colleague and plot stuff," he said.

Mr Abbott, who is wrapping up his annual charity bike ride on Sunday, was again spruiking his push for a reduction in Australia's migration intake until housing and infrastructure can catch up.

He also reiterated his call for the construction of new coal-fired power stations to help drive down energy prices.

Mr Abbott predicts the next election could be around next May.

"Whenever it is, it is important that people know that this has been a good government and is working for them not against them," he said.

Earlier, Liberal frontbencher Steven Ciobo rejected suggestions the federal government was in shambles despite clocking up 30 negative Newspolls, which sparked another round of infighting over its leadership, energy and immigration policy.

Mr Ciobo said people were not interested in these internal discussions but are concerned about job security and who is helping to lower the cost of living pressures.

"We have delivered in spades, we have record job creation ... that's not the consequence of a shambles, that is the consequence of disciplined economic policy," the trade minister told Sky News on Sunday.

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Minggu, 15 April 2018

Opini Politik Di Indonesia Bagaikan.:"Sandwara Politik Indonesia?"

Beberapa tahun belakangan ini, perpolitikan di Indonesia memang menjadi perhatian publik. Media tidak henti-hentinya memberitakan keadaan politik Indonesia yang semakin hari semakin menarik untuk di perbincangkan. Isu politik memang salah satu isu yang menarik untuk didiskusikan selain isu pendidikan dan isu ekonomi. Kita tentu tahu penyebabnya kenapa. Perpolitikan di Indonesia memang menempuh gaya baru. Munculnya beberapa partai politik baru akhir-akhir tahun ini menambah keseruan bidang satu ini. Sebut saja misalnya dengan munculnya ormas perindo yang mendeklarasikan dirinya menjadi sebuah partai politik yang siap bertarung mengambil hati rakyat di pemilihan umum tahun 2019 mendatang. Tidak hanya itu, raja dangdut Rhoma Irama akibat kekecewaannya tidak di usung menjadi calon presedien di pilpres lalu juga ikut mendirikan partai baru yang siap berlaga yakni partai Idaman. Lanjut disusul dengan Partai Solidaritas Indonesia (PSI) yang mengatasnamakan membawa fisi gender untuk siap juga bertarung dalam pemilu selanjutnya. Beberapa partai politik baru ini muncul akibat dari kesuksesan beberapa partai politik peserta pemilu tahun 2014 lalu. Sebut saja Partai Nasdem, Partai Hanura dan Partai Gerindra. Keberadaan partai-partai baru ini menjadi warna baru di parlemen yang setidaknya sangat berpengaruh dalam setiap pengambilan kebijakan. Misalnya partai Gerindra yang sukses pemilu lalu mengantarkan kadernya Prabowo Subianto menjadi calon presiden pada pilpres meskipun harus menelan kekalahan oleh pesaingnya yang menjadi presiden hari ini bapak Joko Widodo. Tetapi partai gerindra tentu berbangga karna menorehkan prestasi itu, tercatat partai besar ikut bergabung dengan mereka salah satunya adalah Partai Golkar dan PPP. Panggung sandiwara politik di Indonesia memang menarik untuk kita diskusikan. Setelah pelaksanaan pemilu 2014 sampai saat ini sandiwara politik Indonesia kembali menjadi perhatian setelah dua partai besar kita mengalami dualisme pengurusan. Partai Golongan Karya (Golkar) dan Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP). Tentu publik ketahui bersama Golkar dan PPP adalah partai tua dan besar di Indonesia. Partai Golkar adalah partai pemenang pemilu beberapa dekade lamanya. 32 tahun masa rezim soeharto adalah masa emas partai golkar karena terus memenangkan setiap pemilu yang ada. Sejarah menorehkan partai ini adalah partai yang sudah tidak dapat diragukan lagi subangsihnya kepada negara tercinta ini. Sejarah Singkat Pemilu Indonesia Indonesia mencatat pemilu pertama yang diadakan adalah pada tahun 1955 semenjak Indonesia memproklamirkan kemerdekaannya di tahun 1945. Usia Republik Indonesia waktu itu masih tergolong muda yakni berumur 10 tahun. Pada tahun ini, pemilihan umum dilakukan sebanyak dua kali yakni di tanggal 29 September untuk pemilihan anggota DPR dan tanggal 15 Desember untuk pemilihan anggota konstituante. Pada pemilu ini jumlah partai politik peserta pemilu sebanyak 29 partai dan mengantarkan Partai Nasional Indonesia (PNI) menjadi pemenang pada pemilu ini. Pemilu selanjutnya di lakukan pada masa orde baru yakni pada tahun 1971 pada tanggal 5 juli 1971. Pada waktu itu tercatat 9 partai politik dan satu organisasi masyarakat tercatat sebagai peserta pemilu dan menghantarkan Golkar sebagai pemenang pemilu. Pada pemilu selanjutnya dikurun tahun 1977-1997 pemilu dilakukan selama kurun waktu 5 tahun sekali yakni di tahun 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, dan 1997 dengan tiga peserta pemilu saja yakni Golongan Karya (Golkar), Partai Demokrasi Indonesia (PDI) dan Partai Persatuan Pembangunan. Setiap perhelatan pemilu ini Golkar selalu keluar menjadi pemenang pemilu disusul dengan PPP dan terakhir PDI. Panggung sandiwara politik kita kembali memiliki sejarah yang tak terlupakan setelah dilengserkannya presiden ke-2 setelah kekuasaaan yang begitu panjang selama 32 tahun. Pada tanggal 21 Mei 1998 jabatan presiden di gantikan oleh wakil presiden waktu itu yakni bapak Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie. Kemudian pada tanggal 7 Juni 1999 resmi digelar pemilu untuk memilih DPR, DPRD Tingkat I dan DPRD tingkat II. Tercatat Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDIP) keluar menjadi pemenang pada pemilu ini dengan memperoleh suara sebanyak 33,74% disusul oleh Partai Golkar sebanyak 22,44% dan PPP sebanyak 10,71%. Kemudian pemilu dilanjutkan pada tahun 2004 yang dimenangkan oleh partai Golkar, kemudian pemilu tahun 2009 dimenangkan oleh partai Demokrat. Sedangkan ditahun 2014 lalu pemilu dimenangkan oleh Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan. Baca Juga : Sejarah perjalanan partai politik ini tentunya sejalan dengan pendewasaan demokrasi di Indonesia. Sejarah ini juga sudah mencatat setidaknya sebanyak 4 kali perubahan UUD 1945 yang tentunya merubah secara fundamental sistem ketatatnegaraan Indonesia termasuk didalamnya melakukan perubahan atas UU Partai Politik dan UU Pemilu. Sejarah panjang pemilu kita memang menyisakan pelajaran berharga bagi kita semua penduduk Indonesia. Hari ini dunia politik tanah air sedang carut marutnya. Pertikaian dengan kubu masing-masing mewarnai dibeberapa partai politik. Sebut saja Partai Golongan Karya dengan dualismenya Kubu Aburizal Bakrie dengan kubu Agung Laksono. Tidak hanya Partai Golkar rivalnya dari tahun 1977 Partai Persatuan Pembangunan pun sama terbelah menjadi dua kubu yakni Kubu Romahurmuzy dan Kubu Djan Farid. Panggung politik kita hari ini lebih dominan di hiasi oleh perkelahian internal partai. Sedangkan yang seharusnya dilakukan yakni membela kepentingan bangsa sudah tidak mereka hiraukan lagi. Panggung politik kita seraya sandiwara teater diatas panggung untuk menjadi tontonan semua orang. Aktor-aktornya kemudian melakukan sandiwara atas lakon yang mereka perankan masing-masing. Kemudian sandiwara itu akan menjadi menarik apabila dilakukan dengan konflik yang ditawarkan. Kita tentu ketahui bahwa, tatanan sebuah negara yang dijalankan oleh pemerintah tidak bisa kemudian dibiarkan mengalir begitu saja tanpa ada kontrol yang yang dilakukan dalam penegakkannya, sehingga dalam konsep negara modern setidaknya dibutuhkan tiga lembaga Negara yan terdiri dari Eksekutif, Legislatif dan Yudikatif. Ketiga lembaga ini tentunya diharapkan menjalankan tugas dan wewenangnya seefektif mungkin demi tercapainya tujuan bernegara. Tentu dalam menjalankan penegakkannya demi mencapai tujuan ketiga lembaga ini harus melakukan mekanisme chack and balances system. Dengan adanya sistem ini ketiga lembaga ini tidak lagi kemudian saling mengkalaim lembaga tertinggi negara. Inilah wajah politik kita hari ini, memang tidak menjadi kesalahan apabila ini terjadi. Namun keyika ini terus akan seperti ini maka wajah politik kita ditahun kedepan akan hanya menjadi tontonan saja. Tidak kemudian menjadi sesuatu yang berharga lagi. Ingat bahwa pada politik ini lahirnya pemimpin yang akan membawa pemerintahan. Jika sudah seperti ini kepada siapa lagi rakyat mengadahkan harapannya. Semoga wajah politik Indonesia akan lebih baik lagi. Tidak menutup kemungkinan bahwa wajah panggung politik kita akan banyak mengalami perkembangan di masa yang akan datang. Perjalanan sejarah ini akan menjadi memori yang terus akan dikenang dalam sejarah untuk mencapai hal yang lebih baik nantinya di masa yang akan datang. Kepada partai yang masih bertikai, sudahlah akhiri semua ini. Tugas panjang masih banyak menjadi pekerjaan rumah kita bersama untuk kita selesaikan. Rakyat yang menjadi kedaulatan dan kekuatan penuh menantikan hasil dari tangan-tangan kalian semua. Bertikai hanya menghabiskan tenaga tanpa menapatkan hasil yang baik. Pendewasaan ilmu politik kita semakin tahun-semakin baik maka jangan kemudian coreng dengan kepentingan-kepentingan sesaat saja. Ingat rakyat Indonesia memilihmu untuk mewakili aspirasi mereka bukan kemudian ingin mendengar dan melihat akan gila kekuasaan. Maka mari kita kembali memperjuangkan rakyat dengan cara masing-masing. ( Uji Coba)

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Wage growth well short of what was promised from tax reform | TheHill

Wage growth well short of what was promised from tax reform

The latest Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows weekly employee earnings have grown $75 since tax reform passed, well short of the $4,000 to $9,000 annual increases projected by President TrumpDonald John TrumpRobert De Niro, Ben Stiller play Mueller and Cohen in 'SNL' parody of 'Meet the Parents' Trump order targets wide swath of public assistance programs Comey says Trump reacted to news of Russian meddling by asking if it changed election results MORE and House Speaker Paul RyanPaul Davis RyanTrump order targets wide swath of public assistance programs Sunday shows preview: White House officials talk Syria strike Wage growth well short of what was promised from tax reform MORE (R-Wis.).  

During the three months following passage of the tax bill, the average American saw a $6.21 increase in average weekly earnings. Assuming 12 weeks of work during the three months following passage of the corporate tax cuts, this equates to a $75 increase.

Assuming a full 52 weeks of work, the $6.21 increase in weekly earnings would result in a $323 annual increase, nowhere near the minimum $4,000 promised and $9,000 potential annual increases projected by President Trump and Speaker Ryan if significant cuts were made to corporate tax rates.

Unless something drastically changes, it seems that Americans are going to have to settle for much less than the $4,000 to $9,000 projected wage increases. An extra $322 a year isn’t going to do much to pay down the $1 trillion in additional debt they are projected to take on as a result of the tax cuts.

Yet, a key part of the argument for the recently passed corporate tax cuts and more than a trillion dollars in debt was the substantial wage hike promised by the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA).

From a document titled, “Corporate Tax Reform and Wages: Theory and Evidence,” on the White House’s website:

“Reducing the statutory federal corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent would, the analysis below suggests, increase average household income in the United States by, very conservatively, $4,000 annually.”

The document goes on to say:

“When we use the more optimistic estimates from the literature, wage boosts are over $9,000 for the average U.S. household.”

No less than Speaker Ryan’s website trumpeted the Council of Economic Advisers report claiming that on average, the proposed corporate tax cuts would result in at least a $4,000 annual increase in wages.

Now, some supporters of the tax bill may say this analysis is unfair because it is too early for the effects of the tax bill to show up in wages. By that logic, they also shouldn’t take credit for reported employment growth increases.  

Still others may point to the $1,000 bonuses announced by some companies shortly after passage of the tax bill. First, that is significantly less than the promised $4,000 to $9,000. Second, these are not wage increases; these are one-time bonuses.

Will companies pay them again, and if so when? Third, the $1,000 represents a fraction of the estimated potential company tax savings.

Using 2016 net income, 2016 effective tax rates, the new 21-percent corporate tax rate and company bonuses, we estimated company bonuses as a percentage of a number of company’s potential tax savings. The results: In many cases, the bonuses represent a mere pittance of the possible tax savings.

Navient announced that it would be giving $1,000 bonuses to 98 percent of its 6,7000 employees, paying out nearly $7 million in bonuses. While that may seem generous, it pales in comparison to Navient’s potential tax savings.

Using Navient’s 2016 net income, its 2016 effective tax rate, estimated annual tax savings of nearly $200 million and its announced bonuses, we calculated that the announced bonuses represent less than 4 percent of Navient’s potential tax savings.

Turning to the airline industry, JetBlue’s employees might be feeling blue if they realized that their $1,000 bonuses are estimated to be less than 10 percent of JetBlue’s potential tax savings, while American Airlines’ bonuses are estimated to represent less than 15 percent of its estimated potential annual tax savings

Not to be outdone, Comcast’s bonuses represent less than 8 percent of its estimated potential annual tax savings, while Walmart appears downright generous, giving an estimated $0.16 of every dollar of its estimated potential annual tax savings to employees in the form of bonuses.

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Source: Solutionomics

What happened to the minimum $4,000 promised? I guess like many promises by politicians, they were empty. Instead, they seem to have gone to share buybacks. For the period December 2017 through February 2018, share buybacks more than doubled to $200 million.

Is a $323 wage increase and a one-time bonus of $1,000 that represents a fraction of estimated potential company tax savings worth the more than $1 trillion in additional debt placed on Americans? Is this the best Congress could do? No.

Instead, Congress could have simply made each company’s tax cut contingent on each company increasing wages. The problem is that some companies receiving tax cuts didn’t raise wages.

If Congress had made each company’s tax cut contingent on each company’s wage increases, the American people would have gotten more bang for their tax cut bucks. Additionally, this would have created a real incentive for companies to raise wages: Increase wages, get a tax cut; don’t and you won’t.

If the justification for saddling the American people with at least $1 trillion in additional debt was greater wage growth, tax cuts should have been tied to each company’s wage growth; that’s just logical. That’s getting a better deal for the American people, and that’s getting a better return on investment.

Chris Macke is the founder of Solutionomics, a think tank focused on developing solutions for a more efficient, merit-based corporate tax code. He has advised the U.S. Federal Reserve by providing market updates and implications of monetary policy changes on asset valuations and market distortions, and he's a contributor to the Fed Beige Book. Find him on Twitter: @solutionomics.

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France issues report detailing evidence of Assad role in chemical attacks

France issues report detailing evidence of Assad role in chemical attacks

France declassified a report on Saturday laying out evidence that officials said proves that a chemical attack in Syria last week was carried out by the government of President Bashar Assad.

The report claims that several chemical strikes were carried out in the Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7, and that symptoms experienced by the victims — skin burns, suffocation and other breathing difficulties, among other markers — were consistent with the effects of chlorine gas.

"Reliable intelligence indicates that Syrian military officials have coordinated what appears to be the use of chemical weapons containing chlorine on Douma, on April 7," the report, released by the French Foreign Ministry, reads.

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The report also states that the Syrian government has carried out a number of chemical weapons strikes since April 4, 2017 — the same day a chemical attack in Syria's northern Idlib province left more than 80 civilians dead.

The U.S. issued an assessment on Friday night pointing to the Syrian government's role in the alleged chemical attacks in Douma.

That report cites "multiple media sources, the reported symptoms experienced by victims, videos and images showing two assessed barrel bombs from the attack, and reliable information indicating coordination between Syrian military officials before the attack."

The assessment also suggests that the Syrian government not only used chlorine in the attack on Douma, but that reported symptoms were also consistent with exposure to sarin, a deadly nerve agent.

The French and U.S. assessments came hours after leaders in Washington, Paris and London authorized "precision strikes" on targets in Syria believed to be associated with the country's chemical weapons arsenal.

Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, have denied that Assad's government used chemical weapons, and have sought to blame both foreign actors and militant groups for staging the attacks in Douma.

Russia has accused the U.S. and its allies of failing to produce adequate evidence of the Syrian government's role in the chemical attack.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the international chemical weapons watchdog, launched an investigation into the alleged chemical strikes on Douma on Saturday.

The allied strikes on Friday were cast by U.S. officials, not as a punishment for Assad's government, but as a means to eradicate Syria's chemical stockpile and production capabilities.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff, said Saturday that while the allied attacks dealt a blow to Syria's chemical weapons program, Damascus likely retained "residual" elements of its chemical arsenal.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpInfowars' Alex Jones blasts Trump over airstrikes: 'He's crapping all over us' McCain to Trump: Airstrikes alone won't achieve objectives in Syria Top general: US did not notify Russia on Syria targets MORE and other U.S. officials have said that they are prepared to take further action in Syria, unless Assad's government ceases its alleged use of chemical weapons.

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Mueller can prove Cohen made secret trip to Prague before the election: report

Special counsel Robert MuellerRobert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE’s team has proof that President TrumpDonald John TrumpRobert De Niro, Ben Stiller play Mueller and Cohen in 'SNL' parody of 'Meet the Parents' Trump order targets wide swath of public assistance programs Comey says Trump reacted to news of Russian meddling by asking if it changed election results MORE’s personal lawyer made a secret trip to Prague during the 2016 campaign despite his denial that he'd ever been there, McClatchy reported Friday.

It is not clear why Michael Cohen was in Prague. The claim he visited was originally made in a dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

Cohen denied that he'd ever been to Prague "in my life" after the dossier's publication, tweeting a photo of his passport.

McClatchy reported that Cohen entered the country through Germany in August or early September 2016, which does not require a passport stamp.

The dossier claimed that, in Prague, Cohen met with a prominent ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Konstantin Kosachev, but it is not clear whether Mueller has evidence of such a meeting.

Koschahev was one of 24 Russian oligarchs slapped with U.S. sanctions earlier this month.

If such a meeting happened, it would be further evidence of ties between Trump associates and Putin. The dossier also claims that Cohen, among others, was deeply involved in a “cover up and damage limitation operation in the attempt to prevent the full details of Trump’s relationship with Russia being exposed.”

Neither Cohen nor Mueller commented on the story to McClatchy.

The report comes on the same day that U.S attorneys confirmed that they are investigating Cohen for criminal activity.

The FBI raided Cohen's office and home on Monday, in part on a referral from Mueller's office. 

 
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France issues report detailing evidence of Assad role in chemical attacks
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