(Live Thread) Republican Presidential Debate #8 Oct. 18, 2011 Nevada 8 P.M. EDT CNN

Bachmann is serving her 3rd full term in the U.S. House. Founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, worked as a tax attorney, and was a foster mother for 23 teenagers. She is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Cain is the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He lost the Georgia Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat in 2004. He was recently the host of Atlanta-based radio show.

Gingrich served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He represented Georgia's 6th congressional district as a Republican member from 1979 to 1999. He has a PhD in modern European history.

Paul is serving his 11th full term in the U.S. House. He’s an ob-gyn and was Libertarian nominee for president in 1988. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008

Perry is the three term governor of Texas, from 2000 to current. He is a retired Air Force captain for former farmer. He has a degree in animal science.

Romney was governor of Massachusetts (2003 to 2007) and former CEO of Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican 2008 nomination for president. He has an MBA (Harvard) and JD (Harvard Law).

Santorum served two terms in the U.S. House and two terms in the U.S. Senate. He became the Senate's third-ranking Republican in 2001. He was defeated for reelection in 2006.

I like Herman Cain but I wanted to post some more questions here regarding his economic proposals (“999”):

1) How’s he going to get around the Constitutional issues (the Sixteenth Amendment authorizing Congress to tax income and no amendment authorizing Congress to tax sales)?

2) A sales tax has looked better to many than an income tax because, among other things, supposedly it would be a one-time-only tax for something, less wasteful than having to file income tax every year, and less intrusive than having the IRS policing your income or returns. However, many have said that the 9% sales tax will apply through the entire supply chain, taxing the same thing over and over again as value is added and as it moves from producer through distribution and retail. What’s in here to guarantee only retail sales are taxed?

3) If somehow he’s able to get around the Constitutional issues and the value-added issues, the plan has another problem - the "tyranny of the status quo" which takes over about 100 days after the new guy is in office. Why not just get a bill passed immediately after taking office that features time-phased implementation such as: 1) immediately lowering both income and sales taxes to 9% as proposed (NO OTHER TAXES) and 2) mandating BOTH a gradual and complete phase-out of income tax while creating and phasing in a sales tax? Otherwise he risks getting us bogged down midstream with a sales tax without having passed a bill abolishing the income tax - a Socialists dream.

4) He needs spending cut plans to sell a huge and essential tax cut. He might want to take a page out of Reagan's book and hire the best business minds to come to DC and noodle this and then come up with a sound proposal - shouldn't be difficult to see tremendous slashes in pure government waste.

I hope Mr. Cain is listening and can make necessary adjustments to his proposals even if it means adjusting the catchy phrase “999” itself. The point is tax cuts are most essential, followed by huge cut in government spending, and ABOLISHING OBAMACARE.

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