In political news, Republican presidential hopeful Gov. Rick Perry is schedule to unveil his proposal today to reform the tax code by giving taxpayers an option to pay taxes under the current code or pay a 20 percent flat tax. Under a flat tax model, poor- and middle-income people will pay a larger share of their income than they do at present. Meanwhile, Perry has openly questioned whether President Obama was born in the United States. When asked by Parade magazine whether he believes Obama’s birth certificate is real, Perry said, “I don’t have any idea.” In an interview today on CNBC, Perry was asked why he brought up the birther issue. Perry said, “It’s a good issue to keep alive. It’s fun to poke at him.”