Campaign promises getting out of hand

As the election season heats up, candidates seem to make a new campaign promise every day. Most promises include spending millions or even billions of dollars of the projected $4.6 trillion budget surplus to benefit a certain group of voters.\nGore's overall plan, "Prosperity for America's Families," includes tax cuts and the creation of a $300 billion "reserve fund," among other expenditures, according to USA Today. Bush's plan, "Blueprint for the Middle Class," also includes tax cuts, and promises billions of dollars for reading programs, teacher training and recruitment, community health centers and programs for people with disabilities. And each major party candidate is accusing the other of overspending the surplus by about $1 trillion, according to USA Today.\nIt's true that campaigns are and have always been built on promises to appeal to various blocs of voters. That is how candidates get elected, because everyone wants to hear they'll get a chunk of government change. People usually vote for the candidate who promises to give them the most, or save them the most in tax dollars.\nBut the fact is, the enormous surplus these candidates are promising away to program after program doesn't even exist yet. The word "projected" means it is only an estimate of what extra money might materialize in the next 10 years. For the candidates to promise expenditures of money that doesn't exist is simply irresponsible, and encourages deficit spending as never before. \nSuppose the surplus doesn't materialize. It's not impossible; all that is needed is a shift in the economy or estimated population growth. But even without the surplus, whoever wins will still be pressured to spend the money he promised for various tax cuts and programs; he'll be pressured to spend money that just isn't there.\nWhether you prefer more programs or fewer taxes, it's nice to think that we as citizens could benefit from the projected surplus. So when candidates present the shopping list of programs on which to spend that money, we're eager to listen and believe. But we as voters must remember the money doesn't exist yet, and might never exist. This race to spend the surplus is creating a pile of possibly empty promises, and that is irresponsible on the part of both major party candidates.