Posted on 09/28/2011 7:41:39 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
It's anybody's guess as to whether Herman Cain can go the distance. But here's another item to put on the plus side of the scales.
The Dems have gotten considerable mileage out of accusations of scientific illiteracy on the part of the GOP candidates. This is largely due to the healthy stand taken by most of the field against global warming panic, but has also Rick Perry's clumsiness in dealing with questions concerning evolution and Michelle B's ill-advised attack on the Gardasil vaccine. (There's scarcely a vaccine in the medical armory that hasn't been accused of causing "retardation" at one time or another.)
Well, lo and behold, one widely overlooked entry in Cain's resume is the fact that he's a trained scientist, with degrees in both mathematics (from Morehouse College) and computer science (from Purdue) Furthermore, he actually worked as a professional mathematician, computing potential missile trajectories for the Navy, something that not even the great Al Gore can claim.
Science has always been a Republican weakness, with scientific ignorance acting as a facet of the GOP troglodyte caricature so beloved of Democratic campaigners. (Which would beg the question as to how the Dems can lay claim to superiority concerning the topic if we all weren't aware that liberals know, like, everything.) But with Cain on the ticket, this failing simply vanishes. It's difficult to see how they can turn the anti-science cannon on a man fully trained in the rigors of the scientific method. Nor is there any doubt whether Cain, in many ways the most outspoken of the current crop, would let them get away with it.
The point is, even if Cain does not gain the nomination, he would be formidable as a vice-presidential candidate.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
With the 999 plan Cain is ignoring and/or ignorant of legislative realities in a way that he wouldn’t get tripped up by business realities were he to take over as CEO of a company.
Gingrich, well grounded in legislative realities, has pointed out the obvious: adding a national sales tax apparatus to all the fed’s current tax collection capabilities would merely present an irresistible temptation for Congress to hike up taxes in even more ways than before.
Cain’s a nice man, but he shouldn’t be president.
RE: Reducing corporate taxes could allow prices to come down to compensate for the 9% sales tax.
IF WE ALLOW COMPETITION TO FLOURISH, YES.
If Companies need not worry about spending so much time on accounting and other unproductive tasks, with a FLAT 9% tax ( THE LOWEST IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD ), Companies will compete with each other to lower the prices of their goods to gain YOUR favor.
Math existed long before science. Science uses math as a tool. Math is all about logic. Science is all about data.
He's absolutely right on supporting states rights in this. If you don't like the laws your state passes, you can always move to another state and still maintain your American citizenship. It is clearly spelled out in the Constitution. You can believe in the second amendment and also believe in the tenth.
IMHO that's the key sentence in the article. The theory of man-made global warming simply cannot be proven by the traditional model of “scientific method.” As a grunt level scientist, I find it disgusting that so many “higher level” scientists have sold out on this subject for political means.
That's your effective tax rate, Josa. Earn another thousand dollars and (presuming that you're in the 25% marginal tax bracket) you'll see only $750 of that grand. You effective rate will go up only slightly, but you're only ever going to see 3/4th's of your increased pay.
My old employer tried to float that cr@p on us when we had to start paying taxes on a previously untaxed benefit. It's the same mentality that talks about their take-home pay without addressing how much of it they're losing in taxes, etc.
It pi$$ed me off then when a supposed finance and tax professional tried to lie to me about it then, and it disturbs me today when I realize that so many people don't have much of a clue about the tax system in this country.
The great Greek philosophers were doing science.
9YearLurker,
(What happens to your screen name when you reach your tenth year? LOL )
Kidding aside...
It isn’t that Cain lacks the stature to be president, but he lacks the kind of experience the office requires.
Though we perpetually disparage politicians in America (for good reasons much of the time), it cannot be denied that POLITICAL SKILLS are necessary in a political job.
It would have been great has he at least held ONE ELECTIVE OFFICE to get the tast of what it’s like.
It is TOTALLY different dfrom being company CEO.
Beyond delivering a good speech, a successful president must know how to build coalitions, apply pressure to friends and foes alike, deal with a hostile press, appoint officials who won’t embarrass the administration, handle ego and turf battles among his advisers and cabinet members, and know when to spend and when to husband political capital. And all of that is before he begins to deal with other nations.
How sure are we that Cain can do all these and STILL get his 9-9-9 plan thru?
TALL ORDER ( in fact quite utopian if you ask me ). Our current convoluted tax code did not happen overnight. It took DECADES of evolution to get to where we are now.
It will probably take the same number of years to UNDO this travesty ( not with close to 50% of our population not paying any taxes and some officious Billionaire wanting the rich to pay even more ).
THAT IS JUST THE REALITY Cain has to face.
If you don’t like the laws your state passes, you can always move to another state and still maintain your American citizenship.
That’s exactly how I feel! Well said.
And Obama is a lawyer.
Agreed, but even at that his 999 plan is not based in political reality. It is virtually certain to lead to increased taxes all around—not more fair or properly incentivized taxes.
EDIT TO ADD, here’s my alternative proposal to a potential President Herman Cain — EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION.
9-9-9 is too revolutionary and our tax code did not get to where it is now in one big bang. IT TOOK DECADES OF GETTING THE SHEEPLE to get use to it. It will take that much time to wean them away ( like taking a drug addict off drugs ).
I propose the PRO-CHOICE Tax System ( Yep, I am PRO-CHOICE on almost anything but killing a baby ).
Tax filers will henceforth have the choice of filing -— THE REGULAR, TRADITIONAL WAY WITH ALL DEDUCTIONS IN PLACE or the FLAT 9% way.
YOUR CHOICE.
With the FLAT 9% way, you pay 9% of your gross income PERIOD. NO DEDUCTIONS ON ANYTHING ELSE. Added Bonus — NO IRS AUDITS.
Let’s see these two tax systems flourish in 5 years.
I am willing to bet that by 2016, we’ll see the traditional method whither in the vine ( as Newt Gingrich used to say ).
That will then slowly pave the way to Herman Cain’s otehr plans ( in phases ).
Why do we never read of the “scientific ignorance” on the left as regards genetically modified foods (i.e., scientific evidence that they do no harm); hydraulic fracturing removal of natural gas deposits (i.e., scientific evidence that there is no threat to groundwater deposits); and nuclear power (scientific evidence that it is safe, clean, and cheap). No, the left ignores or ridicules the body of evidence in each case and nary a word is heard in the MSM.
The degree from Purdue gives him credibility. Purdue won the Rose Bowl in 1967 and the Peach Bowl in 1978. Morehouse College may be a fine school, but how many bowl games has it ever won?
“It is TOTALLY different dfrom being company CEO”
Harry Truman commented on what Ike was going to experience: “Poor Ike, he’s going to give an order an nothing happens”.
I like Cain, he’s my #1 choice right now, and you voice my only real concern: can he get legislation passed? The best ideas in the world don’t matter if you can’t get them enacted. In all honesty, I think he’s smart enough to learn quickly, and I’m going to vote for him in the primaries, but I would like to see him address this issue; you are right that the skill sets do not necessarily transfer.
Also a nice idea, but virtually all middle and upper income filers would opt for the 9%, tax receipts would plummet, and the deficit would skyrocket.
I agree with your larger idea, however. Both individual and corporate income taxes should be put on an evolutionary path to flatness. (With the corporate headed to zero.)
Math is a huge part of most of the major hard sciences. I especially refer to physics and chemistry. Physics is almost all applied math and chemistry’s a close second. Indeed, it’s not even possible to study either without at least being proficient in algebra.
I think most any freeper could gladly go with Cain.
The only possible criticism is that he has no elected official, political experience. The point being: all policy takes place in a political context. Undeniably, it is a benefit to have some sense as to how that works. That sense can only be acquired by experience. Politics is a perverse vocation, without a doubt. But even so, knowing something of the weird world of politics is a plus.
Now that said: not since Ike have we even seriously considered someone who hasn’t at least held some political office. Yet, we continually elect leaders with literally no private sector experience (mostly Democrats, of course: obama, Clinton, Kennedy, Johbnson; but even Ford had very , very limited private sector experience....). Only Bush, Bush, and Reagan have had serious and impressive private sector experience (ie, such that you could say they were successful in a world with at least some distance from politics....).
So, here we are in 2011. We have MOSTLY elected from the purely political class. And the political class has given us what? The mess we are in.
Yes, there is some risk in electing someone with no experience as an elected official. But what’s the greater risk? Continuing with people with ONLY political experience, or going with someone who has no elected experience?
It seems like trying the latter route might be worth considering, all things considered.
Back to Ike: Ike’s shortcomings were not that he didn’t have political (elected) experience. they came due to the fact that he wasn’t a committed conservative.
Cain is a committed conservative and that counts for a lot.
He DOES of course have some policy experience, and that is better than nothing.
But in all seriousness, his ONLY weakness is the one area where he has no expereince (as an elected official), and all things considered, that shouldn’t be a disqualifier (though we shouldn’t be naive and think that that would be a bad thing).
Again, back to the original point: any freeper could support Cain.
I hope he does well, and continues in this race and goes very, very, far....perhaps all the way to the nomination!!!
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