Due to exceptional economic conditions, we are now faced with a federal budget surplus. This surplus is the first since the mid-sixties. We have already had a federal deficit. Due to our good situation, we are faced with a difficult decision; what do we do with the extra money. Some people think we should invest the money in government programs, others think we should give it back to those who gave the money to the government. Returning money to taxpayers seems like the most logical thing to do with surpluses. The government has a moral obligation to return money to taxpayers. The government has no reason to spend money at the moment. Just because we have money doesn't mean we have to spend it. We don't need to search for programs to spend our money on. So we have to return the money while we have some left. Tax rates are at an unprecedented peacetime level. When President Clinton took office, federal taxes consumed 17.8 cents of every dollar earned in the United States. Today, the federal government's share is 20.6 cents on the dollar. (USA Today) Budget projections indicate that over the next ten years the federal government will experience huge budget surpluses totaling approximately $3 trillion. If we have a surplus with a high tax rate, why can't the government take what it needs and reduce the tax rate? We need to cut taxes at a rate so that the government doesn't take in more than it needs. An example of how these types of practices are unheard of elsewhere is: If I were to go to a bank and ask for a car loan for $10,000 and the car only cost $8,000, the bank would require that I reduce the loan amount to $8,000. Then I could say, "I can find other things to spend this $2,000 on." The loan officer laughed and said, "I'm sure you could, but I can't give you more than you need." » Opponents of tax cuts clearly believe that the money generated by federal taxes actually belongs to the federal government. Many of us who want the government to return money to the people believe that the money belongs to those who paid the taxes and that if they pay more than we need to to run the government, we should return it..