Could Herman Cain's tax plan be inspired by SimCity 4? That's the connection that the Huffington Post made yesterday. It looks like the Republican front runner's "999" plan (that's a nine percent tax rate for corporate, personal, and national sales taxes) is strikingly similar to the nine percent commercial, industrial, and residential taxes imposed on residents of SimCity. 

When asked for a comment, Maxis' senior producer Kip Katsarelis told HuffPo:

"We encourage politicians to continue to look to innovative games like SimCity for inspiration for social and economic change."

Is this a cynical ploy to get gamers on board the "Cain Train?" And what effect, if any, would FarmVille have on crop subsidies in a Herman Cain administration?

The Herman Cain Train Music Video (via thehermancain)