4 — The Prince George Citizen — Tuesday, February 24, 1987
Opinion
 TURNER ON TIGHTROPE
Grits cautious, not gloating over Tory troubles
 OTTAWA — Danger lurks for the federal Liberals in the scandals besetting the Mulroney government.
 And John Turner’s kid-glove handling of the situation shows that he realizes how easily the situation could backfire against his party.
 Turner has been trying to stay above the battle, leaving the business of flinging charges to other members of his caucus.
 And he has warned even these people to avoid unsubstantiated charges • or undue exploitation of the government’s problems.
 He has told his caucus to make sure charges are based on fact, not to keep flogging something after the case is made, to remember that scandals hurt Parliament as well as the government, and to keep in mind that such issues as unemployment and farm prices are
more important than scandals to many Canadians.
 Turner’s warning probably results partly from his natural instinct to protect his lead in the polls. The latest Gallup, showing the Liberals at 44 per cent of the decided vote compared with the New Democrats at 32 and the Tories at 22, would mean a smashing triumph for the Grits if translated into an actual election result.
  But Turner knows that it will be hard to maintain the present position for any length of time.
  The Tories may not have hit rock bottom yet. Pollster Angus Reid says they could dip to 16 per cent. But some Conservative recovery is virtually certain. The party’s present standing is too low to last.
  There’s also the fact summed up in a Chinese proverb: He who throws dirt loses ground.
Don McGillivray
In the scandals of 1964-65, for example, both the accusers and the accused lost credibility. Prime minister Lester Pearson lost his chance to form a majority government. But such accusers as John Diefenbaker and Erik Nielsen were tarnished as well.
Turner’s caution also stems from
the peculiar position of the Liberals. It was only two and a half years ago they were thrown out of office with Brian Mulroney’s accusations of patronage ringing in their ears.
  The Canadian public seems to be deeply disappointed in the Tories for having so quickly punched into the trough politics Mulroney scorned in the 1984 campaign.
 But people are not prepared to tolerate much gloating from the Liberals, either. Memories of the last years of the Trudeau administration are too fresh for that.
  Turner’s public position is one of sorrow rather than triumph as the Tories go through their problems.
 He told one interviewer on the weekend that the scandals of the past few weeks would make it hard for all parties to recruit good candidates.
 “I just hope I can find good men and women out there who can run for us in the next election,” Turner said. “What has happened in the last weeks has not made that job easy in finding them . . . because the system has been under challenge and has been hurt.”
 The Liberal leader also must keep in mind that he seems to be operating in a three-party system rather than a two-party system now.
 The rise of the New Democrats in the public opinion polls changes the arithmetic of politics.
 In the new situation, Turner has an interest in keeping the anti-Lib-eral vote as split as possible.
 The Liberals have a solid base of support but they also face voters who will vote against them even if it means switching from the right to the left of the political spectrum.
So an anti-Liberal vote may be Tory today and New Democratic tomorrow. And if it’s concentrated in one party, the Liberals could still lose the coming election.
  Three years ago the NDP looked dangerously weak in the opinion polls. Now the Tories are in a similar position. So it’s not in Turner’s interest to see them grow any weaker.
  In some ways, the present situation is more tricky for Turner than for Mulroney who has little choice but to fight off the accusations as w’ell as he can.
  Turner has to be tough enough to lead his party but statesmanlike enough to avoid arousing resentment. If he can maintain a delicate balance, he may earn a second chance as prime minister.
—	Southam News
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The Prince George
Citizen
 ESTABLISHED MAY 17, 1916
A DIVISION OF SOUTHAM INC.
                          Bryson W. Stone, Publisher R.K. Nogel, Editor	Doug French, Advertising Manager
 Lisa O'Neill, Business Manager	J.D. Perry, Circulation Manager
150 Brunswick Street, Prince George, B.C. V2L 5K9 P.O. Box 5700 Phone 562-2441
Welcome news
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Your opinion
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  Confirmation Monday that The College of New Caledonia will be the site of a $1.33-million dental hygiene training facility is the second vote of confidence in Prince George in less than a week.
   The facility, to be completed in December, will train about 20 students a year, and will be the only dental hygiene training complex outside Vancouver.
   In the words of Stan Hagan, minister of advanced education and training, Prince George was selected over three other communities because it “serves as a focal point for a very large area of the province, and the government is trying to decentralize away from the Lower Mainland and Victoria.”
  Those are welcome words, and there have been other indications recently that the provincial government has some intention of encouraging development of both industry and facilities in this part of the province.
   Prince George’s Centre for Advanced Research Technologies has just been guaranteed $2.8 million in public money over the next two years to keep it operating. The computer-aided design and manufacturing centre was in danger of
  The dream of the Reagan Administration was to have everyone in the government take a lie-detector test. The President felt the lie detector was the only way to keep public servants from leaking the government’s secrets to the press. It also put the fear of God in those who weren't following the White House game plan.
   Alas, the lie detector has fallen on hard times. Since Irangate. all the machines have been recalled because they are giving out false signals.
   The retired detectors are being collected in a warehouse in Alexandria, Va., where they are guarded by Victor Veracity, who is the Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Truth and Consequences.
  “Why,” I asked, “have you recalled so many detectors?"
  Victor replied, "They reported everyone attached to Irangate is lying. We know for a fact that the people who were involved don't lie,
 closing until agreement was reached between the provincial and federal governments on the need to keep the centre afloat.
   These two projects, coupled with proposals for a $50-million meat-packing plant and a $170-million chemi-thermo mechanical pulp mill in the area raise hopes for renewed growth in this region following a protracted period of economic stagnation.
   All this isn’t just a matter of luck, and projects like these don’t pop up like mushrooms after a rain.
   In the case of the dental hygiene facility, a committee of local dentists has actively promoted the CNC as the logical site for such a complex. CART was assured of financing only after its operators were able to convince the provincial government that they could provide viable business plans, and that the centre’s services will be increasingly needed.
   Both these examples serve to demonstrate that governments can’t be expected to sprinkle money and projects across the province unless there’s good reason to do so.
   They have to be convinced of a project’s merits, and nobody can do that better than people within the community.
 so it must mean the machines are faulty."
  "How could the lie detectors have gone so far off?"
   "Every time we strapped up one of the major players in the Iran affair, he blew out every fuse in the Senate hearing room. Since the President's men are all Boy Scouts, we had to assume the glitch was in the detector. Let me show you what is going on. I will ask this lie detector a question. ‘When did you know we were selling arms and not Bibles to Iran?’ Now I will respond to the question with an answer. ‘Only after the Ayatollah Khomeini told me about it in a Tel Aviv discotheque.’ Do you see where the needle went? Right off the board.”
  "And the machine wasn’t even plugged in," I said.
   "That's why we’ve recalled all the detectors. You can’t trust them."
   "What are you going to do now
 Thanks for help
  We are the immigrants who came to Canada looking for a new life and in the process brought our skills, training, education and cross-cultural diversity. We are ready to work hard to build a new life in this community and to contribute to Canadian society. Through the festivities that we sponsor in Prince George - Folk-fest, International Food Festival, Miss Folkfest Pageant, and International Winter Ball, we are sharing with our community our cultural diversities, international cuisine, and the fact that we are the multicultural community in Prince George.
  I am very proud that we have been accepted widely within our community and through the local media; CJCI, Community Channel 10, Coming Soon, and The Citizen. I would like to say thank you to the staff of CJCI, Channel 10, Coming Soon, and The Citizen for giving us super support through the coverage of our events and helping us in our multicultural endeavors.
   Michael I.C. Kennedy
   President, Prince George Folkfest Multicultural Heritage Society
 that you’ve brought the detectors back?”
   "We’ve established a course in remedial truth. It helps people involved in Irangate to realize they have options. They can tell the truth, they can stick with their stories or they can choose the boring way out by taking the Fifth Amendment."
   "I don’t know with the budget cuts the government could afford a remedial truth course.”
   "We established it for people who are up to their hips in Iran and contra operations, but are also interested in protecting the President.”
   "Can the lie-detecting machines distinguish between those who are team players and those who are just interested in telling the truth to save the country?”
   “We’re very suspicious of people who use lie detectors to save the country.
   "Even the CIA can’t be trusted."
 Falling behind
   While the true taxpayers of this country were out trying to earn a living. Our government was taking more of our money away.
   In the past nine years I have worked at the same establishment, even though I have received fair wage settlements, I have watched my buying power decrease.
   They continue to steal from the tables of the real taxpayers in this country, while giving handsome presents to the rich of this land. The $500,000 tax-free capital gains is a prime example. There is no way a wage-earner making $30,000 a year can take advantage of that in a lifetime.
  Not long ago they voted the prime minister a substantially higher wage increase than inflation. Add this to the cost-of-living protection and other benefits he receives his wage becomes vary handsome indeed.
   For people living in areas where public transit is poor or unavailable we were handed another slap in the face. I like other unfortunate taxpayers cannot get to work on public transit. We have to dig
 Victor showed me a copy of The Washington Post. "Look at this. The CIA is re-examining whether the agency's covert operations in Nicaragua violated congressional bans against giving the contras military aid. This part may interest you. The first thing the new-acting director of the CIA. Robert M. Gates, did was rule that since so many agents may have given questionable testimony regarding contra operations everyone can testify over again and change his testimony."
   "Are we to assume that because of Irangate the lie detector is no longer held in as high repute as it was before?"
   "The White House has only one goal in all these Iran-contra hearings.”
   "Which is?”
   "To see that everyone involved in this dreadful mistake can once again look at himself in the mirror and not be ashamed.”
 deeper into our pockets and shell out more money to buy fuel. We also do not enjoy the benefit of claiming our gas, oil, repairs and cost of the vehicle, that are now enjoyed by salesman, small and big businesses and the rich enjoy.
   I get very discouraged when the rich and large corporations which make hundreds of millions of dollars each year and do not pay or pay little in income taxes.
  Mr. Wilson has promised to change the income tax act this year. 1 do hope it is for the better, as I am now starting to come out with more lint than money from the bottoms of my pockets.
   As taxpayers we can control our government. I am also giving notice to our local MP F. Oberle -that if these changes to the tax act do not bring a fairer tax burden on the citizens of this country. Then on election day my vote will be to give MP F. Oberle his undeserved pension and not return him to office.
   S. New
 Compassion the key
   Man's inhumanity to man is a well documental fact. Liberty and peace are won and kept only with tears and blood. A bully only feels threatened by a bigger stick.
   In 1943 while a prisoner-of-war in Germany. I saw a hungry Russian soldier in pitiful condition pick a frozen potato off the ground, and a Nazi guard shot him, and killed him with one shot, before over very eyes.
   Our youth have a right to peace and liberty, but let us not be blindly naive. We have to remember that there is nothing which is impossible; it has all happened before and can happen again in the future.
   Young people, this is not meant to be an alarmist voice. I am almost 70 years old. and I have endured much in war and peace. Please do not be blinded by those who insist on too much disarmament. The meek weak or the weak meek are as lambs to the wolf. You are the up-coming generation The future of this country, your country will be in your hands. Look around you! If you like peace, it will not be yielded to you if you are too naive, by believing the possible charming subversives at home, those who are trained to be
 convincing. Do you deserve freedom? Even at my age, I would still stand up for my country.
   What will you believe in? The future of your children? A strong nation lives — will you deserve it? The key is compassion for others.
   One does not necessarily have to accept what others think, but it is healthy to be open-minded enough to hear what others say to learn how they tick. Then you make your choice. Do be jealous of vour liberty of thought, and prepare yourselves by getting a good college education.
   If something has not happened to you. that does not mean that it cannot. The white Christians who landed on the eastern shores of North America. 400 years ago, were most certainly churchgoers; and look; they killed the red man and put him on reserves, where he is stuck, even in this your times.
   There is spirtual justice. Be certain that whatever you do to others, good or not so, will eventually be done to you. however long the delay in time.
   Spencer Larsen
 Spruce it up
   With spring fast approaching, snow melting, even buds ‘on trees appearing, it's time once again to think of tourists passing our way.
   Prince George has a lot to be proud of in the way it presents itself to tourists. We have beautiful parks, good recreational facilities and a community spirit that. L'm sure, is envied by many.
   The Tourist Information site at the junction of Highways 97 and 16 is really taking shape and is a pleasant introduction to the city.
   However, as one travels to the corner of 15th and Victoria, to the Prince George Visitors and Convention Bureau, one finds a different story. While the building itself is pleasant enough and probably quite adequate, it is disgraceful that the parking area behind the bureau should be left unpaved year after year. It is an uneven, sometimes muddy, and often-times pot-holey. area that detracts from the site.
   My observation is that surely the city could allocate a few dollars towards paving the parking area behind the bureau. It would enhance the site and show tourists that we do care about how we look.
   Diane Handlen
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 The comic strip Dooneshury, regularly featured on this page, does not appear this week because it treats the subject of AIDS, sexual activity and the sale of condoms in a cavalier manner.
 The killer disease is potentially the most serious medical threat to arise this century, and in the opinion of The Citizen’s editorial board, making li^ht of the problem is both inappropriate and a disservice to readers.
 Gary Trudeau’s popular feature will resume soon.
Art Buchwald