HERMAN Cain has recently burst onto the national stage of Republican presidential candidates, and for good reason. Cain brings a fresh take on the "politics as usual" that has wrapped up Washington, D.C. for the past few years. Forget failed bipartisan compromises and do away with across the aisle name calling and blame games that nearly caused our government to default on its debts. Cain has a full head of steam to champion his innovative "9-9-9" tax plan as a stimulus to get our economy jump-started and spur the job creation that is desperately needed.
The GOP establishment still is bewildered by Cain's fast rise to fame, but many Republican voters are taking notice and gathering in support. Whether or not the media has jumped on the bandwagon is irrelevant, especially given his newcomer status to the inner circle of contenders for 2012. The most recent Republican debate is a perfect example, where the topic that kept resurfacing was none other than Cain and his original, just-crazy-enough-but-simple-enough-to-work 9-9-9 tax plan.
According to this plan, the nation's entire tax structure would be scrapped and replaced with three equal 9 percent taxes. There would be a 9 percent corporate income tax, replacing the current 35 percent tax that most corporations either avoid through complicated loopholes or pass on to consumers. There would be a 9 percent personal income tax, retaining very few of the deductions in order to eliminate loopholes for the wealthy while making basic needs affordable for those living in poverty. Finally, there would be a 9 percent national sales tax, again with exemptions that prevent the tax from becoming a burden on the poor.
Independent verification has shown this new tax system to be "revenue neutral" at worst, meaning the government would receive an equivalent amount when compared to the current tax scheme. There have been many attempts at discrediting this tax proposal, and assuredly there will be even more to surface in the coming months. They all seem to miss out on key aspects of current tax law, however.
One important omission is the 15.3 percent payroll tax that is currently paid half by the employer and half by the employee. This would be eliminated, putting more money in the pockets of the poor and further reducing the impact of a national sales tax that is depicted as "highly regressive." Another popular criticism is that this plan does nothing for stimulating the economy. The best alternative these critics can come up with is a "jobs bill" that will put more of the government's money - i.e., taxpayer money - at risk, and come up with a best guess at where this money could be most helpful. With 74 percent of Americans saying our economy and our country are headed in the wrong direction, more of the same attempts at stimulus are not the answer.
The most important factor in this discussion is the one least discussed by the media and pundits, and for obvious reason. This new tax system will put every American taxpayer on the same side of the scale and will cause them to be affected in the same way by any changes in the tax rates. This is a far cry from what the current system encourages, which is political manipulation where half of the country can be pitted against the other half by favoring tax cuts in certain areas or eliminating loopholes in others. The media love to play this game as well, since it allows them to spin the statistics to paint a bad guy versus good guy fight at every turn.
Moreover, with such straightforward tax levels any changes will be noticeable and highly scrutinized by even the least attentive voter. This is a stark contrast to the hundreds of pages of the current tax code, which enables political lobbying to buy a page or two to favor a particular industry and obscures the countless other corporations that are performing exactly the same charade.
In closing, Cain's candidacy brings a number of welcome traits to the beginning of a 2012 presidential race. A black businessman from Atlanta, Cain has served as CEO of Godfather's Pizza and the head of the National Restaurant Association. This solidifies his knowledge of how to encourage job creation and growth in the economy, from the business perspective as well as the worker's perspective. His lack of involvement in politics gives him the Washington outsider appeal and makes him more directly relatable to the everyday citizen. And his straightforward speech alongside his direct message will capture the minds of many Americans looking for a leader who can restore the nation to being an economic giant.
Mark Brindisi is a third-year Engineering student.
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