NEWSMAKERS

Unanswered Prayers: Media mogul Ted Turner criticized fundamentalist Christians for emphasizing that humans were born into sin, arguing instead that “we’re all basically good.” He said in a speech Friday in Atlanta he was disillusioned when his sister died after a long illness, despite his prayers: “If God is love and all-powerful, why does he allow these things to happen?” He gave the audience copies of his own version of the Ten Commandments, the “10 Voluntary Initiatives,” which include population control, recycling and pacifism.

Borrowed Wisdom: The virtues of saving over borrowing are lost, former Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire told students at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich., over the weekend: “There should be an enshrinement of Ben Franklin and his teachings on the virtue of thrift--save and earn interest, don’t borrow and pay it . . . . We’ve got to institute a sort of Puritanism in this country.”

Dog of a Deal: Sen. Robert Byrd, the West Virginian who was majority leader and is the Senate’s senior Democrat, sent unusual birthday greetings to his dog, Billy, and Billy’s sister Bonnie, owned by a daughter. The greetings will cost taxpayers about $1,000. In roughly two pages of the April 23 Congressional Record--at a cost of $515 per page--Byrd said the Maltese terriers see each other daily; that Billy dislikes canned dog food and rides in the front seat of the family car.

Missed Marla: Barbara Bush confessed Sunday to only one regret about the annual White House Correspondents Assn. dinner in Washington: Despite trying, she never did glimpse actress Marla Maples, the “other woman” in Donald Trump’s split with his wife. Maples attended the Saturday night banquet as Time magazine’s guest.