Let voters decide

The Congressional Budget Office has projected a $4.6 trillion surplus for the next decade. With the upcoming November election, it comes as no surprise that candidates have made proposals on what to do with the money.\nRepublican presidential candidate George W. Bush has set aside $158 billion toward Medicare reform. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore has set aside $36 billion for an education package that would make college tuition payments tax deductible.\nWhat's irresponsible about this?\nAbsolutely nothing.\nCampaign promises are an integral part of the election process. It would be totally irresponsible for the candidates not to incorporate their campaign platforms into the surplus. \nThey are obligated to explain to voters how they would deal with the projected surplus. Tax breaks and federal program reforms are extremely important to voters, and they deserve to know how the presidential wannabes plan to deal with these economic issues. \nObviously, campaign promises, and the amount of funding involved in those promises, need to be realistic. Despite the large numbers, these multi-billion dollar proposals are not outrageous when one considers the enormity of the expected surplus. \nThat said, it is important to keep in mind the promises are just that -- promises. Bush and Gore did not swear on their mothers' graves their proposals were going to happen. The surplus is not set in stone, despite the reliability of the Congressional Budget Office. The projected surplus could disappear, and these campaign promises could end up not working out. But that's a chance we have to take. \nThe presidential race is not a spending race about who can promise the most money for certain agendas. It is a race about who can present the most realistic solutions to society's most pressing issues. Both candidates know senior citizens are concerned with health care and college students are concerned about tuition payments. In order to attract their constituents, the candidates must formulate attention-grabbing, realistic policies that interest voters.\nPoliticians do not always keep their promises; there's no way around it. It's up to American voters to judge whether the campaign promises are feasible and whether they believe the candidates will follow through with those promises. \nVoters have the right to decide for themselves whether campaign promises are legitimate, and that is where the real election responsibilities lie.