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Cain was, in fact, just looking for something, anything, "Bold" and he gave the job of dreaming it up to somebody that just had a B.S. in Accounting.

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From fan to The Man: How Cleveland's Rich Lowrie claimed a place in Herman Cain's inner circle

That's how Lowrie found himself this summer on a New Hampshire-bound flight with Cain, sketching the tax-reform plan that in recent weeks has become a household name and helped Cain surge to the head of the Republican field.

"I had one question for him," Lowrie said of the chat. "How bold do you want to be?"

Cain, "with his signature smile and booming voice," leaned in and replied: "Bold."

And so, "9-9-9" was born -- a proposal to replace the federal tax code with a flat 9 percent tax on personal income and businesses and a 9 percent national sales tax.

=======================

Plug in the most gimmicky numbers cath-phrase in the history of sales "9.99" ......

...... and there you have it: "The 9-9-9 Plan".

While Cain was writing an article in November, Cain warned that “The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT” because it would be “one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country”. As Cain points out in the article, “In every country that has established a VAT with the promise of reducing their national debt, the VAT has eventually gone up or expanded on top of the existing tax structure. .... For the liberal naysayers who say that would not happen, you lose! Just look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years since their inception, taxes have gone up, …”

Yet, the 9-9-9 Plan had already been cooked up by Rich Lowrie the Summer before after Cain simply instructed him to be “Bold”.

In short, in order to be a “Shock Jock”, Cain asked a guy with only a bachelor's degree in accountancy from Case Western Reserve University to come up with something “Bold” and, after plugging in the most gimmicky numbers know to sales marketing, “9.99”, that Plan is being pushed by Cain even though the lynchpin of that Plan was soundly trashed by Cain in this article that he wrote last November.

Cain is a snake oil salesman.

Did you miss that part of Cain’s quote on purpose?

Did you, on purpose, miss the part where Cain said that any original low rate means absolutely nothing because initial low rates rates are ALWAYS jacked up?

The "9-9-9" of 2013, according to Cain's November agument, will be the "X-X-X" of future years with X certainly being greater than 9%.

Did you, on purpose, miss the part where Cain said that introducing a brand new National Retail Sales Tax "gives the out-of-control bureaucrats and politicians in denial one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country"?

A "modified version of 9-9-9 that does NOT contain a sales tax"?

Any such "Plan" without the National Retail Sales Tax is a totally different animal that has absolutely nothing to do with the original "9-9-9 Plan".

Are you finally admitting that the 9-9-9 Plan that now has the National Retail Sales Tax as it's main pillar is actually the "insane" idea that Herman Cain said it was back in his November article?

Is the Cain campaign only about catchy slogans and keeping the catchy names and the actual ideas be damned?

"Stupid idea but great catchy name. Tell you what, let's totally change the original idea but keep the really catchy name."

The 9-9-9 Plan is what it is: A dumb idea. Herman Cain himself explained why in his November article.

Transferring the catchy "9-9-9" name to something completely different will not change that fact.

"If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg. ..... Abraham Lincoln

These are Cain's own words in Cain's own article.

"The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT ..." ..... Herman Cain

Cain brought up VAT to come up with a catchy title;

"Don't be VAT Stupid" = "Don't be THAT Stupid"

"Giving the administration and Congress another tool to tax us and confuse us is like giving an alcoholic a key to the liquor store with no supervision, only to discover that he locks the door after he is safely inside. ..... Here are three of the biggest reasons the national retail sales tax is the worst idea on the table. ..... ..... one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country" ...... Herman Cain

Did you get that?

Was it clear enough?

Cain was talking about a "NATIONAL RETAIL SALES TAX".

Repeat.

A "NATIONAL RETAIL SALES TAX".

Is a "NATIONAL RETAIL SALES TAX" not the exact same thing as a "a Point of Sale tax"?

=================

November 21, 2010, By Herman Cain

"The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT (value added tax) on top of everything we already pay in federal taxes.

Here are three of the biggest reasons the national retail sales tax is the worst idea on the table.

First, we have a spending problem in Washington, D.C. not a revenue problem. ......

Even worse is reason number two: In every country that has established a VAT with the promise of reducing their national debt, the VAT has eventually gone up or expanded on top of the existing tax structure. ....

For the liberal naysayers who say that would not happen, you lose! Just look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years since their inception, taxes have gone up, ...."

Giving the administration and Congress another tool to tax us and confuse us is like giving an alcoholic a key to the liquor store with no supervision, only to discover that he locks the door after he is safely inside. A national retail sales tax on top of all the confusing and unfair taxes we have today is insane! It gives the out-of-control bureaucrats and politicians in denial one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country.

Engaging in an ad hominem jibe because of Michael Steele instead of paying any attention to the fact that Herman Cain is paying absolutely ZERO attention to the logistics required to fight and win an election is the same mindless behavior that resulted in all the Sarah Palin supporters looking like fools "Waiting for Godot" when it was obvious that Palin was never thinking of waging a serious electoral war.

"Amateurs talk about strategy and professionals talk about logistics." ..... Omar Bradley

Serious candidates like Romney or Hillary buildup their campaign war chests with the Dollars that will be the "Beans & Bullets" required to wage electoral war. "Phony candidates", like Gingrich and Palin totally ignore the "Beans & Bullets" and spend their time at photo-ops and book tours hawking their own books.

Cain, too, has totally ignored logistics and is spending all of October on a Barnes & Noble book tour.

Cain has already decided to leave the GOP nomination to his past and present favorite, Mitt Romney, and is concentrating his energies on being the next "Celebrity Politician" like Sarah Palin.

Washington Speakers Bureau: Herman Cain, passionate and exceptional leader whose experience has brought him to the pinnacle of both the corporate and political worlds, Herman Cain brings solutions to both businesses—and America’s—most pressing problems.

Perry might have warts but, at least, Perry, like Hillary, paid attention to the logistics that are required to actually TRY to win.

You were fooled once by Palin and you are being fooled once again by Cain.

Herman Cain Only Has 'Several Hundred Thousand Dollars' In The Bank .... Compare that to Romney's $14 million or Perry's $18 million

Herman Cain said Wednesday that he would be unable to support Rick Perry for president if the Texas governor were to eventually win the party's nomination. .... The former businessman said, for instance, that he could support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney....

HERMAN CAIN'S ENDORSEMENT OF MITT ROMNEY PUBLISHED IN THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION PRIOR TO SUPER TUESDAY, 2008

Under current federal income tax rules we would be paying about 5.5% on the funds withdrawn from our 401k's (we aren't "rich"), how is 9% PLUS a new federal 9% sales tax better?!? ...... Drago

And what about current savers, republicangel?

I just retired, on my own savings, after three decades of workaholic medical practice.

My savings have ALREADY been Income Taxed at the top rate of 35%. Once I spend my savings, under the 9-9-9 Plan, that money will be taxed AGAIN by a 9% Sale Tax.

How is that double-taxation of current savings "better"?

Cain has not though this thing through. In fact, Cain did not think of it himself at all.

=======================

From fan to The Man: How Cleveland's Rich Lowrie claimed a place in Herman Cain's inner circle

That's how Lowrie found himself this summer on a New Hampshire-bound flight with Cain, sketching the tax-reform plan that in recent weeks has become a household name and helped Cain surge to the head of the Republican field.

"I had one question for him," Lowrie said of the chat. "How bold do you want to be?"

Cain, "with his signature smile and booming voice," leaned in and replied: "Bold."

And so, "9-9-9" was born -- a proposal to replace the federal tax code with a flat 9 percent tax on personal income and businesses and a 9 percent national sales tax.

=======================

This is the most substantive of the criticisms levied against 9-9-9 and he pretends it’s not important by saying essentially that “well, any plan could be twisted by bad politicians.”

Herman Cain aims to please, LibertarianInExile.

Since you did not like that answer, Herman Cain argues THE EXACT OPPOSITE in my Post 195.

===========================

November 21, 2010, By Herman Cain

"The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT (value added tax) on top of everything we already pay in federal taxes.

Here are three of the biggest reasons the national retail sales tax is the worst idea on the table.

First, we have a spending problem in Washington, D.C. not a revenue problem. ......

Even worse is reason number two: In every country that has established a VAT with the promise of reducing their national debt, the VAT has eventually gone up or expanded on top of the existing tax structure. ....

For the liberal naysayers who say that would not happen, you lose! Just look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years since their inception, taxes have gone up, ...."

Giving the administration and Congress another tool to tax us and confuse us is like giving an alcoholic a key to the liquor store with no supervision, only to discover that he locks the door after he is safely inside. A national retail sales tax on top of all the confusing and unfair taxes we have today is insane! It gives the out-of-control bureaucrats and politicians in denial one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country.

How cute. Now we only need to control that no Democrats ever get elected.

Let's hear an argument from Herman Cain himself that he wrote last November.

That's the great thing about Cain. If you don't like what Cain says today, just wait a few days or a few months and he will then say the exact opposite.

=================

November 21, 2010, By Herman Cain

"The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT (value added tax) on top of everything we already pay in federal taxes.

Here are three of the biggest reasons the national retail sales tax is the worst idea on the table.

First, we have a spending problem in Washington, D.C. not a revenue problem. ......

Even worse is reason number two: In every country that has established a VAT with the promise of reducing their national debt, the VAT has eventually gone up or expanded on top of the existing tax structure. ....

For the liberal naysayers who say that would not happen, you lose! Just look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years since their inception, taxes have gone up, ...."

Giving the administration and Congress another tool to tax us and confuse us is like giving an alcoholic a key to the liquor store with no supervision, only to discover that he locks the door after he is safely inside. A national retail sales tax on top of all the confusing and unfair taxes we have today is insane! It gives the out-of-control bureaucrats and politicians in denial one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country.

Unfortunately for the GOP, Cain is a past and present Romney supporter that is leaving the GOP nomination for Romney as Cain spends October hawking his books on a national tour of Barnes & Noble stores.

Cain and Romney and the media have played you like a cheap fiddle.

HERMAN CAIN'S ENDORSEMENT OF MITT ROMNEY PUBLISHED IN THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION TWO DAYS PRIOR TO SUPER TUESDAY, 2008

Herman Cain said Wednesday that he would be unable to support Rick Perry for president if the Texas governor were to eventually win the party's nomination. .... The former businessman said, for instance, that he could support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney....

Romney Rounds Up Backing Among Key G.O.P. Donors

Herman Cain Only Has 'Several Hundred Thousand Dollars' In The Bank .... Compare that to Romney's $14 million or Perry's $18 million

Michael Steele to Herman Cain: Get Off the Book Tour

America was fooled by hype once. America should not get fooled by hype again.

The man that actually "put forth" the idea was a man that Cain knew with a B.S. in Accounting, Rich Lowrie. Cain just told him to come up with something "Bold".

=======================

From fan to The Man: How Cleveland's Rich Lowrie claimed a place in Herman Cain's inner circle

That's how Lowrie found himself this summer on a New Hampshire-bound flight with Cain, sketching the tax-reform plan that in recent weeks has become a household name and helped Cain surge to the head of the Republican field.

"I had one question for him," Lowrie said of the chat. "How bold do you want to be?"

Cain, "with his signature smile and booming voice," leaned in and replied: "Bold."

And so, "9-9-9" was born -- a proposal to replace the federal tax code with a flat 9 percent tax on personal income and businesses and a 9 percent national sales tax.

=======================

What is amusing is that after Cain asked Lowrie to do that in the Summer of 2010, Cain wrote an article in November of 2010 where he described a National Sales Tax as follows:

“The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT” because it would be “one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country”. Cain then pointed out in the article, “In every country that has established a VAT with the promise of reducing their national debt, the VAT has eventually gone up or expanded on top of the existing tax structure. .... For the liberal naysayers who say that would not happen, you lose! Just look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years since their inception, taxes have gone up, …”

Don’t be VAT stupid (Cain was AGAINST a National Sales Tax last November)

Cain is a snake oil salesman. So is Obama.

Before anyone complains that a National Sales Tax is not a VAT, those were Cain's words not mine.

“The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT”

He could then use the catchy title:

"Don’t be VAT stupid" to play on "Don’t be THAT stupid"

The same "one more tool to lie, deceive, manipulate and destroy this country” last November is now being pitched as part of a "Bold" Plan that will now save America.

Cain is long on cute and catchy slogans and very short on consistency.

Real estate is not my area of education either but I predicted the future Real Estate Bubble disaster on Free Republic back in 2005.

"Three million home owners with ARM loans just got a BIG surprise in the mail." ...... That's nothing compared to the orchietomies that those who have stretched their budgets to buy over-priced real estate with Interest Only loans will get when the "interest only" grace period expires. ..... 34 posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 2:49:56 PM by Polybius

All it took to see the obvious Bubble was common sense. Common sense, however, appears to be in very short supply nowadays.

Mr. Silverback .......

I TOLD YOU SO!

Cheers. :-)

Those were actual suggesion on a Free Republic "Fence" thread this weekend, Fledermaus.

Scroll through the entire thread if you do not believe Reagan Man.

That's why we also need land mines. ..... And lots of Predators equipped with Hellfire missiles and 500 pound JDAMs.

Stop the music! Stop the music!

Cain has now flip-flopped on the flip-flop.

October 17, 2011 10:22 PM ..... Herman Cain acknowledges his electric border fence idea isn't a joke after all ..... PHOENIX - After first apologizing for suggesting an electric fence along the border, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain told reporters here Monday that he still thinks it's a good idea for controlling illegal immigration. "I'm not walking away from that," he said. Cain has spent the last several days explaining a controversial comment about building an electrified fence along the U.S. - Mexico border that he said could kill people trying to enter the country illegally. On Sunday, he said his comments were "a joke." But talking to reporters here after a meeting here with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a national reputation for cracking down on illegal immigrants, Cain reversed course.

Cain is becoming a rapid-fire Gaffe-Machine.

The lack of a campaign war chest (really?) and infrastructure, even if true, had zero to do with why Palin didn't run.

Yes, really.

Sarah Palin would have shown up for a tank battle armed with a Swiss Army knife.

This is what a "serious" campaign looks like:

Hillary Clinton, even with the financial resources of the entire Clinton Machine and even after loaning her own campaign $11 million, still ended up $22.5 million in debt by the end of the Primaries. Total War Chest spent by Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Primaries: $217 Million.

SarahPAC's cash on hand in July, 2011: $1.4 Million

Hillary spent 155 times more money than Sarah Palin had in July 2011.

This is what a "phony" campaign looks like:

All Newt Gingrich has to do to run his current "phony campaign" is get on Orbitz and buy a cheap round trip plane ticket to the next debate and then get on Price Line to get cheap hotel room for one night. Rinse and repeat every two weeks.

Without any "war chest" worth mentioning, the chances of surviving the "Campaign Ad Wars" are Zero, Nada, Zip, Zilch.

Newt Gingrich loses nothing by running, building up his Brand and then dropping out. Nobody expects Newt to actually win.

Sarah Palin's mystique, however, was wrapped up in the illusion among her supporters that she WOULD win.

Without a war chest, Sarah Palin's option were:

A.) Declare a candidacy then drop out or get beaten like a rented mule.

B.) Hint, for as long as possible, about declaring and then decline with her supporters still believing that she WOULD have won if only she HAD declared.

For Sarah Palin, the logical choice is B.

Better to be a certain winner ("if only she had run") in the imagination of her supporters than a proven loser like McCain, Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Bob Dole, John Kerry, Al Gore, etc., that actually ran and actually lost.

"If you took all the girls I knew when I was single, and brought them all together for one night, I know they'd never match my sweet imagination" ..... Paul Simon, Kodachrome

Well, it means that you had better keep working until you drop. It means that lower income seniors and lower earning families will get taxed out the wazoo to the point that would be economically devastating for them.

($100 Social Security check) - (9% Income Tax) = $90

($90) - (9% State Sales Tax) - (9% National Sales Tax) = $73.80 in Purchasing Power

It means that the Black Market will thrive.

In my case, after three decades of workaholic medical practice, I just retired on my own saving, one year younger than when my own father died.

That means that I was Income Taxed at the top 35% tax rate when I earned my savings and will be Sales Taxed AGAIN at 9% when I spend my savings under 9-9-9.

How does Cain deal with the double-taxation of current savings even though Cain brags that "under my 9-9-9 Plan, everything is only taxed once"?

The current savings in the entire United States of America is a minor detail that Cain's "economic adviser" completely blew off.

All that Cain cared about was a "Bold" plan, any plan, that would generate "Shock Jock" appeal when marketed as a $9.99 Special. ..... Even if the "Bold" Plan went totally against what Cain himself warned about in this article.

=======================

From fan to The Man: How Cleveland's Rich Lowrie claimed a place in Herman Cain's inner circle

That's how Lowrie found himself this summer on a New Hampshire-bound flight with Cain, sketching the tax-reform plan that in recent weeks has become a household name and helped Cain surge to the head of the Republican field.

"I had one question for him," Lowrie said of the chat. "How bold do you want to be?"

Cain, "with his signature smile and booming voice," leaned in and replied: "Bold."

And so, "9-9-9" was born -- a proposal to replace the federal tax code with a flat 9 percent tax on personal income and businesses and a 9 percent national sales tax.

=======================

Did you miss the point in Herman Cain's own article that any lower initial rates will inevitably RISE?

=========================

"For the liberal naysayers who say that would not happen, you lose! Just look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years since their inception, taxes have gone up,

Giving the administration and Congress another tool to tax us and confuse us is like giving an alcoholic a key to the liquor store with no supervision, only to discover that he locks the door after he is safely inside." ..... Herman Cain

Objective analysis has nothing to do with "suiting" yourself or anybody else.

For many months, in spite of thousands of "PDS!" arrows, I warned on FR that Sarah Palin's utter lack of attention to the serious logistics of building a campaign war chest and infrastructure meant that Palin would be running either a "tease" or, at best, a "phony campaign" like Newt is running now.

In the end, I was right and most of Free Republic was wrong.

I warned about Palin then and I am warning about Cain now.

While Romney is focused, like a laser, in locking up key GOP donors, Cain is spending the month of October on a national tour of Barnes & Noble book stores. Each man's priorities are obvious.

If you want to throw objective analysis out the window, suit yourself.

"Amateurs talk about strategy and professionals talk about logistics." ..... Omar Bradley

Herman Cain Only Has 'Several Hundred Thousand Dollars' In The Bank .... Compare that to Romney's $14 million or Perry's $18 million

Michael Steele to Herman Cain: Get Off the Book Tour

”The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax, which is a disguised VAT” .... Herman Cain

LOL These two statements are not the same. One is true and one is lame. Thanks for the Sesame Street break from seriousness, Polybius. .....TigersEye

Is that you Bill Clinton?

Are you arguing about what the meaning of "is" is?