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PAGE 6 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1993 Opinion The Tories must also share the blame. They came to office in 1984 and reduced a spiraling deficit. They made the government operate in the black. But they didn‘t do what they promised: eliminate the deficit Switch forward to the 1993 campaign. Listen to the voices of the politicians on deficit reduction. What are they saying? Not much. They will give you platitudes and rhetoric but very little substance about how to get d of the debt. Why won‘t the politicians talk about the real issue in this campaign instead of trying to pull the wool over people‘s eyes? That is a question that should be asked by every thoughtful Canaâ€" dian who cares about this country and the direction in which it is headed Simply put, there is only one real issue in the campaign: it is the horrendous national debt. It overshadows everything else and, unless it is soon solved, it will devour this country. Yet the politicians only give it lip service. Unless something dramatic is done to stop government spending, debts and deficits will kill our living standards in this decade. No question about it. But politicians don‘t want to talk about the issue and voters seem uninterested. This is unfortunate because the election is a turning point where Canadians must decide to bite the bullet on the debt crisis. Canada‘s public debts will double in 10 years at current interest rates without any deficits. With deficits, they will double before the century turns. This is the handiwork of the politicians we‘ve elected to both federal and provincial governments in the last quarter century. With very few exceptions, a lot them are to blame for it and they should be ashamed of themselves for leaving such a legacy. scheme. And the Tories? They say they‘ll abolish the deficit in five years but are very vague in specifics. One of them is going to form a government in some form or other after October 25 and yet both have avoided the biggest issue that threatens everything this country is about â€" jobs, financial security, opportunity. The debt. Both the Tories and the Grits failed to attack deficits sufficiently in the past. Both should hang their heads in shame for spending money we didn‘t have, telling fairy tales to the voters and giving in to a demanding and greedy public. Why do they avoid the issue? Easy. Because the solution, as even Bob Rae has learned, is painful. It means cutting spending. Cutting programs. Cutting salaries of people in the public sector. Cutting UIC. Cutting other handouts that we take for granted. The Reform Party has spelled out the best program for the debt and hasn‘t shrunk from the issue. But it isn‘t going to form the next govâ€" ernment. Either the Liberals or the Conservatives will. And both will face the same problem. The debt crisis is so severe that both the Grits and the Tories had better face it. They had better tell the people very specifically how they intend to cut the deficit â€" now. No more rhetoric. No more avoidâ€" ance. No more head games. Remember that when you listen to the candidates on TV or at an allâ€"candidates‘ debate, pin them down. Make them accountable. The country‘s future is at stake. The issue is too serious. If it‘s not solved soon, forget about all the other issues, including jobs. Why? Because if you can‘t solve the debt, you‘ll go broke and unemployment will be sky high. There won‘t be money for anything. The Liberals, for their part, botched the economy quite nicely from 1968 to 1984 when the national debt went from zero to $200 billion. Waterloo Town Square 75 King St. South, Suite 201 Waterloo, Ontario The Liberals think they can avoid it by talking about a job creation Stop pulling the woo! over voters‘ eyes NJ 1P3 Telephone 886â€"2830 News Line 886â€"3021 Fax. No. 886â€"9383 MEANWHILE... Fred Sge! Melodee Martinuk Pete Cudhea (Sports Editor) ‘ Deborah Crandall Tom Brockelbank Maureen McNab Teresa Brown Gerry Mattice Don Steeves fli{mu'it':' Bill Karges Still, you can hock the family silver and bet that it‘ll bring debate aplenty. That‘s because there‘s someâ€" thing about a city square, even a small one, that seems to rouse the rhetoric. Anyhow, debate won‘t bother Mayor Turnbull because he wants the public involved to the hilt. With at least seven potential sites, that seems a certainty. . One thing the city should insist on is an ample Speakers‘ Corner, similar to the one that‘s proven so successful in Kitchener. To my surprise. Ironically, I proposed the corner in a longâ€"ago colâ€" umn but the idea came from Cully Schmidt, then Record editorâ€"inâ€"chief. Cully had and has a real feel for the community. And a Speakers‘ Corner in Waterâ€" loo would surely underscore the idea of a community I‘ll guarantee you that some silly things will be said at the corner but that comes with the territory. Thank heaven Canada is one of the few places in the world where you can say what you think without thinking. Bless the Mail: The most seductive words in the Engâ€" lish language? That‘s easy: "Factory outlet." Fact is, I‘m tempted to queue up now for a parking spot at the factory mall scheduled to open on Waterloo‘s outskirts mentators are saying. Any time you hear someone criticizing the south, just ask him when he last heard Waterloo is on its way to getting a public square and that‘s a development devoutly to be wished. You can bet the 25â€"store project will be popular. Even before it adds 11 more outlets in its second _ I‘ve always been surprised by what you see in facâ€" tory outlet malls. Of course, there‘s a dollar in a lot of things. Take making buckskin jackets. It may not pay much but there are fringe benefits. The Oneâ€"Glove Wonder: Pray tell, am I the only perâ€" son whose eyes glaze over when Michael Jackson is mentioned? Make no mistake, he‘s been wounded by the scandal. It would appear the only way he can get on a roll is with training wheels. Southern Exposure: There‘s been a continuing outcry over the killing of tourists in Florida but I‘m not frightened about visiting the Sunshine State. As always, we‘ll just fly into Miami and I‘ll go to the Avis counter and rent a tank. Seriously, it seems to me that if you‘re reasonably cautious, no harm will Publicly speaking ... And I sort of resent what some of the northern com:â€" Linda Howard Andrew Pearen Administration: Heather Mitchell Rick Campbell Waterloo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by The Fairway Group Incorporated Subscription rates E 215 Fairway Rd. S., mmflymM, : Kitchener, Ont. $90 yearly outside Canada. President: Paul Winkler +GS1T. The views of our columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper .o $ BB 2ooton® /%f RlF > C m /( BABN * of someone retiring and going north? Poll Vault: Have you ever been quizzed by a real, live political pollster? I haven‘t and perhaps that explains why I‘m not at all impressed by any of the plethora of polls. The media promotes them because it‘s now become an accepted way of creating news but let‘s not forget that the polls can create a bandwagon effect that can skew an election result. When you think about it, the polls not only tell us what‘s going to happen but when it doesn‘t, they‘ll take another poll to explain what went wrong with the first poll. By the way, do you know why Sir John A. MacDonâ€" ald was first in the hearts of his countrymen? Because back then, they didn‘t have polls to tell him he wasn‘t. Over the Fence: Gosh, the American League East is tighter than the top of Cecil Fielder‘s pants and I‘ve been waiting for the call from Cito Gaston asking if I‘m available to pitch long relief. C He sure needs help to plug the holes in his pitching staff. The Blue Jays have done their lateâ€"inning fold so often of late that the Skydome booths were starting to sell hot dogs to go in the fifth inning. _ _ _ Deck the Halls: We‘re barely past Labor Day, but signs peddling Christmas stuff are popping up every: where. It‘s always been amazing how early stores put up their decorations. By midâ€"November, their Chnst- mas trees will be covered with more dust than tinsel. Still, the early selling may not bother many. You have to fancy that this year, folks will really be look: ing forward to Christmas as an excuse to break from recessionâ€"borne austerity. . _ en At our house, we really get into the spirit. For example, for Christmas dinner, we always try t0 invite someone who‘s reviled, ignored, spurned by the world. Like a New Democrat. ONCE OVER LIGHTLY