Herman Cain

CeO, Businessman

Friends of Herman Cain PO Box 2158 Stockbridge, GA 30281 (678) 601-2772

Paid for by Friends of Herman Cain

COmmOn SenSe
tHe PeOPleS PlatfOrm

SOlutiOnS

Table of Contents
Introduction: We are America! 1. Strengthen Our National Security 2. Unleash Economic Growth 3. Cut Government Spending 4. Release Our Domestic Energy Resources 5. Modernize Social Programs 6. Fix the Immigration Problems 7. Repeal & Replace Health Care Deform 8. Redo Financial Regulatory Deform 9. Eliminate Excessive Regulatory Burdens 10. Unbundle Education 11. Put United Back into USA Conclusion: In God Is Our Trust

Introduction: We are America!

People are sick and tired of being sick and tired of politicians talking about problems and not solving them. For decades the big three, Social Security, Medicare, the national debt and a long list of other problems have only gotten worse, while the politicians just keep on talking, making promises, and creating new problems. We know Social Security cannot be sustained as it is currently structured, so the political elites just keep talking about the problem. We know Medicare cannot be sustained, so the Obama administration cuts 500 billion dollars out of it and says they will make it up in efficiencies. And instead of getting government out of the way to make health care more affordable and accessible, President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress passed a huge new bureaucracy thats already making health care more expensive and less accessible. People want solutions. The solutions do not have to be perfect, but they need to be moving in the right direction. Right now they are just getting worse. Many of our national problems have plenty of low hanging fruit ideas to get us out of this national quagmire, but politics keeps getting in the way. There are plenty of good ideas about how to fix stuff, but they never go anywhere. They get stuck in a congressional committee, stuck in another proposed legislation, stuck in a compromise, or they get stuck on stupid. The biggest barrier to solving many of our national problems is lack of leadership. Leadership is not being the sharpest knife in the drawer. It is working on the right problem, asking the right questions, and removing barriers to success (WAR). So instead of solving a specific problem, both chambers of Congress will try to pass a compromised bi-partisan solution to any and everything that comes up as a problem, and we end up with another half baked solution. And when one political party controls both houses of Congress we will sometimes get a completely one sided solution instead of the right solution. The leadership for solving national problems the right way must come from the president. Indeed, the president needs the input, cooperation and approval of both chambers 4 of Congress, but 535 Members of Congress cant lead by committee. The president has to lead. Thats how the Founders set it up. But if the president is more of a politician than a problem solver, we end up with more half baked or one sided solutions. We have not had a problem solving president in the White House for decades, which is why our big problems have only gotten worse, little by little. This booklet is about solutions, low hanging fruit solutions. They are not complicated to understand, but they are difficult to get through the political bureaucracy. With a problem solving president and an inspired public they can happen. These ideas come from people, other organizations and yes, sometimes from Members of Congress. Thats why we call this booklet The Peoples Platform. This is what the people want now. They want some common sense, and they are tired of waiting. America is an exceptional nation. It is exceptional because of its history of success, its resiliency through tough times, and the tenacity of the American people to keep America strong, independent, and free. We refuse to let our problems fester any longer. We refuse to continue on this fast track to socialism. We refuse to become the United States of Europe. We are America!

People are sick and tired of being sick and tired of politicians talking about problems and not solving them.

Chapter One: Strengthen Our National Security

The primary duty of the President of the United States is to protect our people. In fact, it is the principal duty of a limited federal government. They must ensure that our military and all of our security agencies are strong and capable. Unfortunately, national security has become far too politicized with our elected officials using the issue as a means to polarize our country as the war hawks and the peace doves. In response, the safety and morale of our brave men and women in uniform are often at risk for political gain. The judgment of our military experts on the ground is often underutilized in exchange for political purposes. National security isnt about politics. Its about defending America. While diplomacy is a critical tool in solving the complex security issues we face, it must never compromise military might. Because we are such a free and prosperous people, we are the envy of the world. Many regimes seek to destroy us because they are threatened by our ideals, and they resent our prosperity. We must acknowledge the real and present danger that terrorist nations and organizations pose to our countrys future. Further, we must stand by our friends and we must not be fooled by our enemies. We should never be deceived by terrorists. They only have one objective, namely, to kill all of us. We must always remain vigilant in dealing with adversaries. We must support our military with the best training, equipment, technology and infrastructure necessary to keep them in a position to win. We must also provide our men and women in uniform, our veterans and their families with the benefits they deserve for their tremendous sacrifice. These heroes have served us. We must never forget to serve them.

Chapter Two: Unleash Economic Growth

America has long been a beacon of prosperity throughout the world. The American Dream has been attained by those who were willing to think, work and sacrifice to achieve it. Each dream was different, but each dream was made possible due to the freedoms this country provides. The role of the federal government should be to encourage economic growth by ensuring conditions that will allow businesses to thrive, not just survive. That means less legislation, less regulation, lower taxes and businessfriendly policies. The federal government should not be in the business of picking and choosing industries they support financially. This happens in the form of subsidies, and special tax breaks in which the government plays favorite with one industry and in turn, hinders the competitiveness of another. There are some exceptions, but in Washington it has become the rule. The federal government also impedes economic growth by interfering in the employer and employee relationship. While labor unions once provided a representative body to lobby for fair wages and safe working conditions for employees, they now principally serve as a political mechanism for the Left. Forced unionization through the dishonestly named Employee Free Choice Act, or card check, would drive up the costs of goods and services, cause hundreds and thousands of jobs to be lost and ultimately, a more powerful system of liberal fundraising to be maintained. Currently, the federal government taxes too much and too often. Meaningful tax reform should be implemented immediately to alleviate that suffocating tax burden placed on businesses and individuals in America. This means across-the-board tax cuts to provide long-term relief, including reducing the capital gains tax, suspending taxes on repatriated profits and permanently eliminating the death tax.

We must support our military with the best training, equipment, technology and infrastructure necessary to keep them in a position to win.
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The role of the federal government should be to encourage economic growth by ensuring conditions that will allow businesses to thrive, not just survive.

Chapter Three: Cut Government Spending

It is no secret that federal government spending is out of control. They view the American taxpayers as a bottomless piggybank for their wasteful programs and expansion of power. And we the people will not tolerate it any longer. The massive debt caused by liberal policies will be passed onto our children and grandchildren if we do not stop it. They will be stuck with the tab for the government takeover of health care, industry bailouts and failed stimulus packages. They will be the ones approached with outstretched palms by the Chinese to pay back the billions upon billions we owe them. Each generation of Americans should seek to leave behind a better and more prosperous nation for the next, not saddle them with debt from reckless spending. Though it might not be politically popular to modernize and eliminate some of our entitlement programs, responsible leaders should be willing to do it all the same. They must be prepared to make tough choices and learn to simply say no. This can only happen when our elected officials stop being politicians and start being leaders. Simply put: there is no Department of Happy in Washington, D.C. Nothing should be off the table. Every federal agency, every government program and every single expenditure must be reviewed and revised with a keen eye and a red pen. Leaders should be willing to shrink budgets by target percentages, and those charged with implementing those changes must be held accountable. And it works! I have served as an executive of several major corporations. When times were tough and money was tight, I asked our employees to cut back drastically, and explained why it was necessary, and they did. We have all had to make difficult decisions in our own household or at our work place. Serious but responsible belt tightening can save businesses, and it can also save our country with the right leadership.

Chapter Four: Release Our Domestic Energy Resources

America is a land blessed with abundant natural resources and the capability of the people to obtain them. From the oil-rich states of Louisiana and Alaska to the mighty dams along rivers across the states, the options for many forms of energy are real and plentiful. Still, liberals continue to perpetuate the misunderstanding that the high energy consumption of a thriving nation and conservation of our precious planet are at odds with one another. Because they have perpetuated such a myth, liberals have forced excessive environmental regulations which have stifiled our domestic energy production, and instead, forced American consumers to rely far too heavily upon foreign oil. In many cases, this oil comes from Middle Eastern countries, some of whom are not friendly to the U.S., who end up dictating the prices of our energy consumption. In return, Americans have seen no improvements in our environment or in the cleanliness of our air. We must expand our domestic energy resources by loosening governments grip responsibly. Subsidies on agricultural products, like ethanol-producing corn, have become a mechanism for the government to pick and choose industries it favors, while doing little to enhance our ability to harness real alternative energy resources. Instead, we must allow all forms of energy the ability to develop in a free market system. Alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar, nuclear and hydroelectric are certainly part of the solution long term, but private industry must take the lead for true innovation to be a bigger part of our future energy needs. If alternative energy sources are found to be inexpensive, safe and plentiful, American consumers will choose to purchase them. Let the markets decide which forms of energy fuel our cars, heat our homes and which ones will keep America working. America can develop a path to energy independenceand we will. We have the resources but we need the leadership.

It is no secret that federal government spending is out of control. They view the American taxpayers as a bottomless piggybank for their wasteful programs and expansion of power. And we the people will not tolerate it any longer.
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Let the markets decide which forms of energy fuel our cars, heat our homes and which ones will keep America working.

Chapter Five: Modernize Social Programs

Big government enthusiasts designed social programs to provide a financial safety net, but, in turn, dependency on the government for the most vulnerable in society became an expected entitlement. Decades since their inception, far too many Americans have shifted their expectations from government assistance to entitlement. Too many people have exchanged their freedom for a false sense of security that these programs are perceived to provide. Unfortunately, this has not only been to the sociological detriment of America, but also to its economic detriment. Simply, ever-expanding social programs are compromising the current and future financial stability of this great country. According to a May 2009 article in Newsweek, current projections indicate that Medicare will go bankrupt by 2017 and Social Security will bottom out by 2037. These figures are advanced from 2008s estimates, which forecasted Medicares bankruptcy to occur in 2019 and 2041 for Social Security. Some experts believe these programs demise will arrive even sooner. For the generations who have paid into Social Security and Medicare, the federal governments inevitable failure to pay them as they retire is undeniably stealing. These are generations who have worked and sacrificed to leave this country a better place for their children and grandchildren, and we have an obligation to make certain that their financial futures are secure. The current behavior of an out of control federal government does little to ease their minds. Its also imperative that we revamp our social and welfare programs, so Americas less fortunate can be offered a hand-up instead of a handout. The government should help people to be able to help themselves. We must return to free market-based solutions that empower our nations workers to take control over their professional and retirement futures. It is essential that we modernize our Social Security and Medicare programs, which began in 1935 and 1965, respectively. What worked then will not work today, and the government has a responsibility to support Americas Golden Age population by empowering them instead of restricting them.

Chapter Six: Fix the Immigration Problems

America is an exceptional nation. We are also a prosperous nation because of our liberties and our free market system. Thats why people from all over the world want to come to America to create better lives for themselves and their families, because we are truly the land of opportunity. Americans have embraced their role as the worlds premier melting pot, welcoming immigrants from every corner of the planet. We readily learn about other cultures, customs and beliefs. We appreciate those who are willing to come to this country and make America a more vibrant and enriched place. Americans do resent, however, the willingness of some to circumvent our laws and enter our nation illegally. While many, if not most, illegal immigrants are peaceful people simply seeking to provide for their families, some are not. In fact, some are quite dangerous, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of American citizens. Illegal immigration has only exacerbated illegal activity, such as the horrendous crimes of drug smuggling and human trafficking. Illegal immigrants who are repeat offenders are harder to track, making it difficult for law enforcement to prevent crime. Further, weak borders have caused a compounding problem of terrorists assimilating with illegal immigrants, crossing the border with them and entering the U.S. Illegal immigration also puts a tremendous strain on Americas entitlement and health care systems. Illegal immigrants are typically uninsured and cannot afford to pay for their medical care, driving up costs for all Americans, even those actually insured. In fact, several hospitals in the U.S. have declared bankruptcy as a result of the costs of caring for illegal immigrants. We must secure our borders, enforce our laws and promote the existing path to citizenship. Protecting our nations sovereignty should be a paramount concern of those elected to lead us, not an afterthought or a reaction once the problem becomes even worse. Further, taking a stand on the issue does not mean one lacks compassion, but instead, that one respects the rule of law and the importance of not becoming a lawless nation.

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Chapter Seven: Repeal & Replace Health Care Deform

President Obama and the liberals in Congress have dismantled the free market health care system and replaced it with health care deform. They have passed measures that compromise the sacred patient-doctor relationship, eliminate patient choice, stick a bureaucrat in the examining room, ration care and do nothing to limit frivolous lawsuits that drive up the cost of health care. In all these provisions, they made health care more expensive and less accessible for American families they claimed to protect. Under the guise of making health care a right for all people, President Obama and the liberals in Congress instead extended the tentacles of government, expanding their control and diminishing patients rights. They have also made it more difficult and more expensive for doctors to practice medicine, including specialized practitioners who are desperately needed to save lives. In reality, their attempts at reforming the system have actually deformed it. The majority of Americans agree: its time to repeal and replace Obamacare with patient-centered, free market reforms. Its time to institute legitimate and sweeping tort reform that lets doctors practice medicine without fear of frivolous lawsuits. Looser pay laws would be a great start! And loosening the restrictions on Health Savings Accounts would help to empower Americans to save and invest their own money to expand their options for care. Lets level the playing field under the current tax code and allow the deductibility of health insurance premiums regardless of whether they are purchased by the employer or the employee. That would help shift ownership of ones health care back to where it belongs, the individual. Patient-centered free market health care reforms have already been developed and introduced in Congress, but they are stuck in committee and they cant get out. With the right leadership we can get them out and get them passed.

Chapter Eight: Redo Financial Regulatory Deform

In the summer of 2010, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank bill, better known by its misnomer, financial reform. This bill, which exceeds 2,300 pages, will cost $30 billion and take many years to implement. Unfortunately, it does little to shield Main Street from the alleged risks of Wall Street. This move for comprehensive reform, or really, deform, stems from the concerns of the American people following their bailouts of Wall Street with TARP (Toxic Assets Relief Program) to prevent the forecasted collapse of our economy. The sweeping legislation posed new restrictions and created new regulations for many sectors of the financial industry- from credit card companies to massive banks to accounting firms. Like many things in politics, however, the devil is in the details. While Democrats sold the measure as a means of the government playing watchdog on behalf of the American people, the Dodd-Frank bill actually compounded the problems facing our nations economy. This financial overhaul created a protected group of too big to fail firms that allows the federal government the power to bail them out whenever deemed necessary. Additionally, the bill would allow the federal government to seize private property without judicial review if the owner keeping his or her rightful property results in serious adverse effects on financial stability. The bill also adds $20 billion in taxes for the next ten years. Whats worse: the former chief of the FDIC, Bill Isaac, says that this bill does nothing to prevent a future financial crisis, the very concern that Democrats say the legislation was meant to address. It also did not include provisions to investigate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government entities whose failures cost the American taxpayers more than $6 trillion. Its also worth mentioning that the bill includes special protection for Big Labor and perks for President Obamas supporters. We must repeal financial regulatory deform. We must enact real reforms that protect the roots of our economic system. We must not compromise them with excessive regulation and the federal governments pay-to-play politics. 13

The majority of Americans agree: its time to repeal and replace Obamacare with patientcentered, free market reforms.
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Chapter Nine: Eliminate Excessive Regulatory Burdens

The federal government has amassed incredible amounts of control through its ability to regulate everything from emissions to food to businesses. Certainly, some regulation is necessary to protect American consumers and taxpayers, but excessive regulation has driven up the price of the goods and services we want, need and desire. According to the Heritage Foundation, burdensome regulations have increased at an alarming rate. In 2010 alone, Washington forced 43 major new regulations on us. The cost of complying with these additional measures is more than $26.5 billion, which according to Heritage, is far more than any other year for which records are available. Experts anticipate that with health care deform, financial regulatory deform and other liberal agenda items, next years regulatory costs will skyrocket farther. We pay for regulations with every bite of food we eat, with every drop of gasoline we put in our cars and with every good or service we obtain. While we might not immediately recognize the impact of such drastic regulations, they are laced tightly in the cost of everything we buy. In fact, the Small Business Administration estimates that complying with regulation costs around $1.75 trillion annually, which is actually twice as much as all revenue from individual income taxes last year. Alleviating the burdens of cumbersome regulation would be an immediate boost for our weakened economy. It would signal to businesses and investors that the government intends to maintain conditions that allow for them to thrive, not to bog them down with additional costs they must inevitably pass on to their consumers. No one is arguing for lead-based paint in toys for kids or unsafe food. We just want reasonable regulations that cut down on bureaucracy and help businesses succeed. And ultimately, the free market, aided in part by the watchful eyes of investors and consumers, will regulate itself.

Chapter Ten: Unbundle Education

Education is the key to unlocking a prosperous future. At the heart of education should always be the students. Unfortunately, education has become weighed down with administration that has shifted the focus from educating students to maintaining an excessive level of bureaucracy through expanded unionization and regulation. Its time to unbundle education from the federal government down to the local level. Of course, most teachers are in the field of education to foster intellectual development for eager minds. Through a system of accountability, we should reward those teachers whose students excel and better evaluate those whose students perform poorly. Performance incentives work in business, and they will work in education, too. A critical component of improving education in our country is to decentralize the federal governments control over it. Children are best served when the teachers, parents and principals are making the day-to-day decisions, coupled with the leadership of local municipalities, school boards and states. What might work for a third grader in Oklahoma might not work for a third grader in Hawaii. Another way we can put kids first is to offer school choice as a real option for educational competition. This means expanding school vouchers and charter schools. Such measures have proven time and time again to best serve the students, many of whom do not have the economic means of attending better schools. In a post-Katrina New Orleans, these programs were immensely popular with both the parents and the students, giving opportunities to children who might otherwise have been stuck in poor-performing, if not failing, schools. Unbundling education means putting kids first. It means rewarding those teachers who enrich the lives of their students, and it means holding those accountable who do not. It means putting students before union interests, and it means keeping their development paramount. Unbundling education means localizing education- making those on the ground responsible for the teaching and learning that happens in our local communities. Unbundling education means offering parents choices for their children to create a truly competitive educational system. 15

The federal government has amassed incredible amounts of control through its ability to regulate everything from emissions to food to businesses.
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Chapter Eleven: Put United Back in USA

The mainstream media would have you think that Americans are more divided than ever. They think that we are polarized politically, with each side becoming more and more extreme with each passing year. I tend to disagree. American are united on what we want for our families, ourselves, and our grand childrens future: to live in a safe, free and prosperous nation. That is what President Ronald Reagan saw. He saw America made of people-- good people-- who loved and cared for each other. He believed that our best days were yet to come, and that the American Dream was attainable to anyone who loved it enough to reach for it. While our nation faces complex problems, it is also made up of a people who are industrious, intelligent and decent. Take for instance the response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Americans of every race, religion and background rallied together to support this great nation. This unity sent a strong message to our enemies: we will stand together and we will never forget. No matter our political philosophies, there is so much upon which we can agree. Using our common ground as a starting point, we can make real progress in improving this country for generations to come, while still cherishing the foundation that has made it great.

Conclusion: In God Is Our Trust

Our Founding Fathers recognized a higher power in the formation of this nation when they said in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. It was no accident that in some of our earlier years as a free and independent nation that our leaders added In God We Trust to all of our currency. And to send a message to the rest of the world when Communism was on the rise in the 1950s, Congress added the words under God to our pledge of allegiance. They were not just words. It was a collective reaffirmation that we know the ultimate source of our greatness as a nation. Americas moral foundation does not need to be rewritten. It needs to be respected and taught to our children and grandchildren. It is the basis for our concept of freedom. As former President Ronald Reagan reminded us many years ago: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it on to our children in the blood stream. It must be fought for and protected and handed on for them to do the same. Or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and grandchildren what it used to be like in the United States when men were free. We are free because In God Is Our Trust.

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Americas moral foundation does not need to be rewritten. It needs to be respected and taught to our children and grandchildren.

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Herman Cains Bio

Herman Cain has a unique personality and multi-dimensional background in business, politics and life. Herman Cain is an accomplished speaker and writer on the subjects of leadership, motivation, national and economic policy, politics, and achieving ones American Dream.

Recipient of eight Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Morehouse College, New York City Technical College; Suffolk University, Johnson & Wales University, Creighton University, Purdue University, Tougaloo College and the University of Nebraska Recipient of a 1996 Horatio Alger Award and the 1991 International Foodservice Manufacturers Associations Operator of the Year/Gold Plate Award Graduated from Morehouse College with a B.S. in Mathematics in 1967. Earned his Masters Degree in Computer Science from Purdue University in 1971 Author of four books, Leadership Is Common Sense (1997), Speak As A Leader (1999), CEO of SELF (October, 2001), and They Think Youre Stupid (May, 2005) A native and current resident of Atlanta, Georgia. Married for over 40 years with two adult children and three grandchildren

This is Herman Cain:

Chief Executive Officer and President of THE New Voice, Inc., a business consulting company, and Head Coach of HITM (Hermanators Intelligent Thinkers Movement) Former Chairman of Godfathers Pizza, Inc. after serving as CEO and President for ten years, 1986 - 1996. In 1988 he bought the company from The Pillsbury Company Former President of the Tax Leadership Council, the public educational component of Americans for Fair Taxation Past Chairman of the Board of the National Restaurant Association (1994-1995), and former full time CEO and President of the Association (1996-1999) Past Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Member of The National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform (1995), chaired by former Republican Vicepresidential candidate, Jack Kemp Former Member, Strategic Air Command (STRATCOM) Citizens Advisory Board, Omaha, Nebraska Radio Talk Show Host, The Herman Cain Show, News Talk 750 WSB Atlanta, Monday - Friday, 7pm-10pm EST FOX News Business Commentator and Columnist with NorthStarNational.com, World Net Daily and DailyCaller.com At a nationally televised Presidential Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform (1994), challenged President Bill Clintons health care proposal when he said, Mr. President, with all due respect, your calculations are incorrect Serves on the Boards of Directors of AGCO, Inc., Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Hallmark Cards Inc., Whirlpool, Inc., and Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia 18

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