SimCity: The foundation of a tax plan?
All week, we've been telling you about Herman Cain's 999 plan. The Republican frontrunner's tax overhaul is simple: 9% tax on personal income, a 9% tax on corporate income, and a 9% sales tax. Many speculated the former Godfather's Pizza CEO turned to a great delivery deal — $9.99 — for inspiration on the name. It's catchy, easy to remember.
As Lawrence pointed out last night, the plan isn't so simple. His exact phrasing was, "most vicious assault on the middle class and the working poor, and the most lavish giveaway to the rich, that has ever been proposed by a presidential campaign frontrunner." When you look closer at the fine-print, the plan essentially abolishes Social Security and Medicare.
Details on how Cain came up with the plan are hazy. With the exception of Rich Lowrie, an employee at the local Wells Fargo bank in Cleveland, his team of economic advisers remains on the the DL. (To him, his "advisers are the American people.")
The Huffington Post may have stumbled upon the foundation of 999 in the virtual game land of SimCity:
Long before Cain was running for president and getting attention for his 999 plan, the residents of SimCity 4 — which was released in 2003 — were living under a system where the default tax rate was 9 percent for commercial taxes, 9 percent for industrial taxes and 9 percent for residential taxes. (That is, of course, if you didn't use the cheat codes to get unlimited money and avoid taxes altogether.)
When asked about the similarities between them, Cain campaign spokesman JD Gordon told HuffPo "we all like 999."
Leave a Comment:
Ok, now I'm turning off this show forever. Why in the hell is Joe, the not plumber, doing on this show. Such a lack of class.
dogma,
he's on the show because he is running for congress. if he is running for congress, he should be interviewed by both the left and right.
Good answer Suzette. I think me and you are slowly building bridges.
kurt,
i forgot to mention that "joe the plumber" was a plant by john mcCain during his most desperate moment of running for president, except maybe for when he paused his campaign at the beginning of the financial collapse.
joe was a republican plant. his father (robert) is a huge donor to the republican party, and is the son-in-law of charles keating. robert worked at Lincoln Savings and Loan when the Keating 5 scandal broke.
Joe the Plumber.
Republican Plant.
You've got to be freaking kidding me? This douchebag is basing his tax plan for America on A VIDEO GAME?!!! Where does the Republican party find these brainless wind-bags? Can someone tell me the name of the Grover Norquist clown school that cranked out this current spate of Republican candidates for Pres. of the U.S.? Maybe, just maybe...these are the Grover Norquist School for Ventriloquist's Dummies rejects...what bunch of bozos.
Would you like fries and a coke with your order of "end of the free world as we know it"?
Actually Norquist said it was crap too. But hey, at least the theory has been tested. That's more than can be said about the stimulus. How'd the game turn out?
The wealthy do not think the middle class
Deserve the simple privilege of a bill.
They want to hold them down en masse
So they can serve the puppet master's will.
Republicans must sign the Norquist pledge
To forestall any raise in revenues.
They'd want to lead the country to the edge
Of Depression-era depths so we would lose.
They do not know their leaders would abandon
Them, once they start to reason for themselves.
The puppeteer won't keep the puppet dancin'
With its own mind; he'd just put it on the shelves.
A pity that Republicans must choose
'Tween Romney and the seven Dwarves, who'll lose...
everyone i talk to says the same thing. republicans don't care if herman cain or joe the plumber are smart or not, or even mitt romney, or whoever turns up being the republican nominee. look at W. bush and sarah palin. thank you john mcCain.
they just want their nominee to feed the base so they can win back the white house.
and they might steal an election by preventing certain people from voting as they did in florida in the 2000 election. they also might hack into a computer stealing 90,000 votes from the democratic candidate like they did in ohio in 2004.
Well Lawrence, the good old boy Mr cain turns out to really be a puppet 999 (666) no brain!!!!! Hahaha!
Larry is without a doubt the lowest class when it tomes to so called
Larry is without a doubt to lowest class of so called "journalist". Oh now, Rachele is on with a story about fluoride. MSNBC is culling the bottom of the barrel now.
'
Lay Off of Herman Cain - let the right impale themselves on him for a few months
Let them look like idiots for not examining what 999 would bring
He virtually invites an Obama 9999 plan which is
"Take 9 seconds and examine the 999 plan"
Take Anthrax, sprinkle it on bikers, get them drunk and then lock them in a gym with nothing but alcohol, cigarettes and yer high school daughters - call that a plan.
In the end, that plan would be more popular than Mr Cains 999 plan - once examined.
Grover Norquist is wrong! 999 is not phlebotomy. It is closer to three injections of crystal meth crank! Highs last 8 to 24 hours followed by crash which includes agression. Withdrawl is very painful. Sorry Mr. Cain but California has too many meth orphans already! Sad what Bush W did to the Republican party. They are partying with bad stuff.
Meanwhile Obama takes a strong ax swing to legalization of pot farms and sales in California. The Mexican pot import salesman have big dough ready to donate to Obama reelection! http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/8155522-452/white-house-tramples-california-pot-laws.html
You know, I was wondering where I had heard of "9-9-9" before...
Then it came to me,,, The scene in "Inglorious Basterds", where Hitler is throwing a tantrum, yelling, "NEIN! NEIN!! NEIN!!!"
Seems sort of appropriate, somehow...
c54, things would have been a lot worse without the stimulus. Let's hope the economy will be off life support when the last of stimulus ends soon.
The problem is such a plan won't raise nearly enough revenue. That means exploding debt. Police, Fire, FAA, inspections, disaster relief... are expensive. Nobody seriously is going to do without. The military is optional and bloated. It it bigger than all other countries combined. Whom do they plan to fight? Arcturans? However war is a sacred cow. The politicians are 100% in the pocket of those who sell goods and services to the military.
999 or nine nine nine means NO NO NO in German
Has anyone realized the GOP are a threat to our nation, "Foreign and Domestic". Bi-partisanship -non-existent and proven time and time again. Wake up America, as President Obama plainly stated in his initial campaign, "Change" and it is occuring because of corrupt, elite and tongue twisted Republicans, and some Democrats of the same "Greed" Pool and Prejudices".