Promises

EMILIANO ZAPATA -- The rebels of Chiapas who shocked the Mexican government and much of the world two months ago are out among their people in the rugged hillsides of this impoverished province these days, asking whether they should accept the government deal to end the war.In exchange for their weapons, the government has promised hospitals, roads, schools, electricity and clean water.But the people of Chiapas have heard it all before. The Mexican government has broken promises to them for generations.

ARLINGTON, Va. - By deciding to give up areas populated by Jews in Gaza (known as "settlements" by those who regard it as "occupied territory") and effectively annexing disputed territory in Judea and Samaria (known as the "West Bank" by those who also consider this area "occupied"), Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has decided to risk his country's future on promises he received from President Bush. On paper, those promises sounded pretty good for Israel, which will continue to control land, sea and air passages throughout Gaza to prevent a terrorist base from being established.

ANNAPOLIS -- His last piece of 1990 campaign literature invited people to vote against higher taxes by making him their voice in the legislature.The voters complied and freshman Delegate Martin G. Madden, R-Howard and Prince George's, led his incumbent opponents by more than 3,000 votes.Now, in the midst of a grinding budget crisis that persuades some of the need for new or higher taxes, Mr. Madden says that his campaign resolve is even stronger."I believe in promises," he says. "Promises, unlike records, are not made to be broken."

"The doer is always conscienceless; no one has a conscience except the spectator." - Goethe These few words from the great German poet have what lawyers like to call "explanatory value." We spectators tend to huff and puff about broken campaign promises from our politicians. How can they renounce or ignore what they so earnestly promised when seeking our votes? The reality is, how can they not? No doubt you've noticed that it's only when their faction is out of power that politicians embrace a set of appealing "principles," which they cast aside upon attaining or regaining ruling power.

Beware of candidates making promises they cannot keep. That ought to be the byword of Maryland voters this political season. The horde running for governor has promised to solve nearly every societal ill short of curing cancer.Democrat Parris Glendening is going to fix our economic development woes by ''growing the economy.'' But the economy can't be equated to raising hogs or soybeans.Republican Helen Bentley pledges to wipe away the crime crisis with a $1 billion plan that is long on tough-sounding solutions but seems to defy reality.

The Securities and Exchange Commission sent a message to the fund business recently when it announced plans to stiffen its oversight of mutual fund advertising. That same message should not be lost on individual investors. By the time regulators ferret out bad ads, investors already have been damaged. So instead of relying on the SEC to better scrutinize fund advertising, you should do it yourself. At the Mutual Fund Directors Education Council Conference two weeks ago, SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt announced a special review of fund marketing materials -- including Web sites -- to determine whether portfolio and investment strategies are consistent with advertised promises and disclosed statements.

AS I'VE WRITTEN, I'm convinced that Social Security privatization is not merely a bad idea but a certain failure, and I offered a logical proof, challenging supporters to find the flaw or give up. My argument defined success as bringing in more money than the current system. More money is necessary either to reduce the gap between projected benefits and revenues or to make retirees better off. Supporters variously promise both of these benefits. More money can come from only two places: increased economic growth or other people.

CLINTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton came to Maryland yesterday and promised to revitalize the economy's small-business sector, calling it the nation's "engine of opportunity."With a drug store, a sandwich shop, a dry cleaner, a candy store and a pet shop as his backdrop, Mr. Clinton charged the Bush administration with failing to nurture and protect the economy's most reliable job producer."We have a system now that makes no distinction in the tax law between buying a Maserati and buying a new piece of equipment for that cleaners over there," he said, turning toward Coyle Cleaners to his left.

WASHINGTON -- His rallying cry has often been, "Keep hope alive," but now the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson appears to be honing a new slogan: "Promises to Keep."The one-time Democratic presidential candidate said yesterday that he will devote his energies in the coming months to making sure Bill Clinton sticks to his campaign promises, from jobs programs and urban aid to training and day care for welfare recipients."There'll be real competition for the president's attention. And there'll be those who say he can't afford to keep those promises," Mr. Jackson said at a breakfast with reporters.

"White Dwarf" takes the premise of "Northern Exposure," sets it on a distant planet, then dresses it all up in the language of myth and fairy tale.Cool, hey?Cool, no. Try lame, tedious, tired, obvious. Is there anybody in programming at Fox who knows anything about made-for-TV movies?"White Dwarf," which airs at 8 tonight on WBFF (Channel 45), is supposed to be the network's big movie event of May sweeps. It's also supposed to be indicative of the "quality television" that John Matoian, the new president of Fox Entertainment, promises to deliver.