[RockinRight]

I like it in concept, but would need to see some safeguards against the 9/9/9 becoming 23/12/43 or something.

[MNJohnnie]

What is to stop Congress from raising Income tax rates right now 20-30-50%? The standared being applied to Cain's 9-9-9 applies even MORE so to the current tax system.

The SAME political pressure Congress from raising the Income tax right now applies even much more so to 9-9-9

Right now it is easy to demagogue tax hikes as "making the rich pay their fair share". That become impossible with 9-9-9 since EVERYONE know ANY tax hike will mean THEY pay more.

[yup2394871293]

I like it in concept, but would need to see some safeguards against the 9/9/9 becoming 23/12/43 or something.

I doubt there are any, even constitutional ones. Politicians are good at coming out with bizarre new ways to count, and the judicial branch may be mathematically challenged as well.

[yup2394871293]

As I think Boehner pointed out, government accounting is fundamentally dishonest and needs to be reformed (most likely return to pre-Nixon era standards). But Boehner’s excuse for not addressing that issue is the senate. Giving the government a new way to tax people is a very dangerous thing to do. Cain’s resume is excellent, probably better than anyone in the race (to say nothing of the incumbent), but I’m afraid that his lack of experience with the public sector could allow him to get steamrolled by bureaucrats/Democrats/RINOs as president. Pie-in-the-sky promises are nothing new with presidential candidates, but Cain should consider proposing smaller reforms to the income tax before using up political capital on a Fair Tax or hybrid sales tax idea. The situation is going to be a long hard slog for whoever is the next president until the economy turns around.