
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 25, 1994                   TAG: 9408250089
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CITIZENS' Q&A

What should happen to someone who lies to the public as a member of Congress or a candidate for public office? Who's lied, who's been guilty of lying and what do they think ought to be done about it?

- Kemper Murray, Covington

COLEMAN: "The best recourse for lying to the public rests in the court of public opinion and at the polling place. Voters who feel a candidate or public official has lied shoud deny that person public office."

NORTH: "Constant lies from our elected officials have undermined confidence in our system of government. Politicians are always promising to balance the federal budget and then they vote more and more expenditures which make balancing the budget impossible. I believe the correct remedy is at the ballot box, where voters can vote politicians out of office."

ROBB: "Anyone who lies in an official capacity or while holding public office should be prosecuted under the appropriate laws and statues. Anyone who lies as a candidate for office should be rejected by the voters."

WILDER: "As Congressman Bill McCollum, R-Fla., said to Ted Koppel of ABC's 'Nightline' a couple of weeks ago, 'if he lied to Congress, he has no business holding office.' While McCollum was speaking of Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Altman relative to his admission about misleading Congress on matters relating to Whitewater, this statement might apply to anyone. I should further note that McCollum has been one of Ollie North's biggest defenders.

"An individual's character should be considered seriously by voters when making the critical decision of who to vote for. If nothing else, I have been honest and straightforward with the public, sometimes to my political detriment. But I believe the voters have the right to know the truth, the whole truth, so they may make intelligent decision and form informed opinions."

Got a question? Call our Citizens' Q&A line, and we'll make an effort to track down the candidates. Phone 981-3119 or 1-800-346-1234, ext. 9. Or E-mail us at bwarreninfi.net and be sure to include your name, address and phone number.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB