Readers’ Column for the week of Dec. 28, 2014

You may call the Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2378 24-hours a day, or e-mail comments to readerscolumn@stny.rr.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message.

Way back before the November elections, Governor Cuomo was in Binghamton and beating the drum and said that the Southern tier would get at least one gambling license if we voted for the Casinos like he was guaranteeing it as the boss of the state.  After the election. we get the shaft.  What does that make Cuomo?

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I think that the Tioga County Legislature should begin to proceedings to succeed from New York State and apply to be part of the state of Pennsylvania.

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All I can say is God bless Obama and God bless Andrew Cuomo. It’s about time we had someone in office that had the balls to do something for the people!

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For the cerebrally challenged obamacrat, who does not know the poor got poorer and the rich got richer under Obama, just Google “real wages under Obama”. During the so called economic expansion from 2010 to 2013, for the first time in U.S. history the real after tax household income fell by 5.9 percent; for African Americans it fell by 7.7 percent. Data from the 2013 survey of Consumer Finances showed the median income for every income segment fell except for the top 10 percent of earners. Get it? Obama likes to parrot income and equality, which is the ratio of middle to upper income levels. The higher the number, the more inequality. In 2007, pre-Obama, it was 4.5; in 2010 it was 6.2 and is projected to be 6.6 in 2015. Oh, Wall Street bankers always give more to democrats than to republican campaigns. Guess why?

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Cuomo is a Grinch himself.

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Location, location, location! That would be Tioga Downs in Nichols, bordering on the Pennsylvania border and positioned with the source of working “key to spending”, “middle class due to their extremely recovered economy due to the industry of drilling”. Write or email to Senator Libous, he needs to remedy this. Getting a release of a fourth license, opportune Endicott or Nichols. Nichols in Tioga Downs wins, hands down! As to commitment, location and readiness, this is where the fourth license needs to be.

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I think the people of New York State should get a petition that they could gamble on the Internet like other states. Only in New York State you can’t gamble on the Internet. For New York State Lottery you cannot buy them on the Internet. Since we are getting swamped all over the place let’s get our own thing going.

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The Southern Tier should join Conklin and succeed from the state since Cuomo doesn’t know where the Southern Tier is. He seems to think it’s somewhere else. He’ll never miss us anyway.

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To start with I’d like to make it perfectly clear that I am not a republican and I am not a democrat either, I am an independent, but when I hear words come out of Washington from the White House that he is going to do things his way that everything must be done his way and people are starting to refer to him as the American emperor – I wonder about that. I think it’s more like he’s becoming the American dictator. He wants everything his way. If congress won’t go along with it, he will do it his way. If the American people don’t like it that’s too bad he’s going to do it his way.

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If everybody’s tired about people dragging their feet in the Village of Owego maybe the wiser choice is to abolish the Village of Owego as they were offered several years ago after the flood. We can’t afford the gang that’s running this place any more.

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I would like to give a shout out to the new can and bottle redemption center next to KFC. The workers are friendly, honest and helpful, and they even give you 6 cents on your returns!

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I see Schumer never really cared to help Tioga County. He should be proud of himself. I believe that Mr. Gural along with just about everybody that I’ve talked to should take this to court. As far as I know the Southern Tier starts at the Pennsylvania line and should end just on the other side of Binghamton. I hope that Mr. Gural will take it to court because I believe he could win. It’s a sad day, it really is. It’s just unbelievable. The man got the bill and then they pulled this stunt. Well, I hope they are really happy. I hope the readers will call in to write.

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Do you think you’re living in a democracy today? I don’t think so. I believe we’re living in a dictatorship. The government wants to control every facet of our life from birth to death. Our “leader” has already publicly stated that everything must be done his way regardless of what congress thinks or regardless of what the people think – everything is going to be done his way. He has already purged the upper limits of our military, thousands of high ranking military officers have been purged and he is now in the process of getting the ranks while all the while building up a strong security force. Everything must be done his way so if you think this is still a democracy you better look at the programs that have been crammed down our throats lately, worthless social programs, worthless healthcare programs, etc. Who is the main architect behind all these things? Stop and think about it. How much of your freedom have you lost over the last few years? Think about it.

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I was just reading about our so called president Obama, and the Pennysaver running all these letters to the editor and other newspapers how they always complain about the republicans and never writing anything about the democrats. They never tell about the affordable healthcare act, done by law. Check the law, who put the bill through? It was all the democrats. We all voted for the bill in support of Obama. Tell me one thing since he’s got into office that Obama has done not to tear this country down? You can’t talk about coal, you can’t talk about solar, you can’t talk about wind power, you can’t talk about electricity, you can’t talk about the ergonomics of the country, you can’t talk about the employment issue in the country but you surely can talk about the unemployment because that’s all we have. It’s anything for himself.

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Years ago when a political party got shellacked, they expected defeat and went towards the middle of the political spectrum. Obama is a Marxist ideologue and will do the opposite. He will do as much damage to the country as he can by pushing his progressive socialist agenda. Let’s all hope the republicans will stop this slide to national disgrace and devastation.

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Christmas wish. If you watched the WVIA Saturday afternoon on Dec. 20, and watched the Elvis Presley program of music faith, please give me a call. I would like to talk to you. My number is (607) 998-2233.

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I found a gift card in Sweeney’s parking lot in Apalachin. Call 687-2434 to identify store and amount to claim.

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So much publicity and millions of taxpayer dollars are going into making sure the public is ready in any emergency. I can’t even understand that we listen to a jolt on the television to make sure an emergency would stream across the top and that is where we will get our news. In any emergency, even the slightest, the first thing that is gone in New York State is the electricity. Nobody will have a television; nobody will be able to do that. So why are they kidding themselves and spending this money worthlessly.

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I think we are blaming the wrong people for the people committing crimes. I think the courts, lawyers, and judges should be accountable for letting repeat offenders out of jail. Case in point, the man that killed the two police officers in New York City. He was arrested 19 times and just got out of jail after two years. The paper said he had attempted suicide before, was estranged from his sisters and had a violent childhood. His own mother was afraid of him. The justice system sure needs a lot of overhaul. When are we going to get to make sure the right people are accountable and not let them out? Also, the mental health system is in bad shape, as this man also was believed to have a mental illness. People are left on their own to take the meds and some should not be on the streets.

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This is for the Town of Owego Highway Department. I know at least four pickup trucks they use daily. To me, I think they are wasting a lot of money. I’m a retired mechanic and I’d like to see those things rigged with a switch when they leave the drivers seat and the truck shuts off, because they never shut them off.

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Congratulations goes out to a long time business man, Tom Ash, who has sold his insurance business on Main Street. It has been there for so many years and he is retiring. Congratulations on both your sale and your retirement. Good luck Tom!

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We, the people of Tioga and the REAL Southern Tier, want to thank Jeff Gural and the Walsh family for their diligence, commitment, enthusiasm and vision and for wanting to bring something positive to the Southern Tier. We especially appreciate all the heart that Jeff Gural has poured into Tioga Downs and for all the wonderful free things he offers us. What a pity the Wizard of Oz isn’t real because we’d ask him to give Albany a heart. Happy Holidays to Jeff Gural and the Walsh family. We may be down but we are not out!

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Follow the news. The 113th do nothing congress is gone and a new one starts in January. Do they plan to ignore that four-letter word? No, not that one. The republicans vow to remove from legislation. The word is food, of which there is not enough for our hungry neighbors. I guess those congressional millionaires take a lot for granted like taxpayer-funded healthcare, fat salaries and other entitlements. Maybe in their new preening and posturing our representatives will remember to do something to improve lives for hungry Americans. It’s in their power to do so. Don’t you think they’ve wasted enough billions in crooked governments abroad?

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Shouldn’t Fire Commissioner Hartman be more concerned about downsizing the fire department instead of the police department? Since he’s been commissioner the fire department he has lost a large contract and the money to go with that and many members have resigned. Perhaps he should consider closing down fire stations on Talcott Street and Southside Drive to save taxpayer money. These stations are no longer needed. Owego has the smallest district in the county and the largest number of stations and apparatus. How does this make any physical sense? Taxpayers, you have a say in this.

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I really enjoy the reading The Old Coot every week. It’s certainly is entertaining. But if you allow Earl Hartman to write such long letters every week, why not just give him his own column?

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Well, once again, common sense isn’t so common. Governor Cuomo has banned fracking. Why? Because it is environmentally unsafe. According to whom? I’ve personally spoken with folks in Pennsylvania who have producing wells on their land, no problem. I’ve personally seen some of the checks they’ve received. WOW! Would that be a boon to Tioga and Broome Counties? I’m convinced banning fracking has nothing to do with safety, the environment, nothing like that. It’s about control. The current occupant of the Oval Office and his comrade, Andrew Cuomo, are convinced they’re the smartest people in the world and they need to control us because we can’t be trusted to make correct decisions. Besides, the more people they can keep beholding to the government, the more voters they can count on, voila, control. It would be interesting if we restricted the vote on this issue to landowners, instead of letting city dwellers and people who have no skin in the game make decisions affecting us all.

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If a dentist or another member of the licensed health care profession, other than a physician has harmed you, you can report the provider to the New York State Education Department’s Professional Misconduct hotline at nysed.gov or 1-800-442-8106. A high number of people have sent in complaints about dentists in the Southern Tier. However, not enough people know about this agency or how easy it is to file a complaint, the investigators want to hear from you with VALID complaints. You can also check the website to find out whether the dentist or other licensed professional you are thinking of consulting already has a record of sanctions against him or her. They cover professions like nursing, chiropractic, optometry, pharmacy, and physical therapy; massage therapy, veterinarian, architect, interior designer, midwifery, etc. For a complaint about a physician you go to the New York State Department of Health website at www.health.ny.gov/publications/1444/.

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What is with OFA Football and the standard of mediocrity (at best)? OFA has two really good youth football programs feeding the school program, but once they get into school football it goes nowhere. I’d like to think our student-athletes aren’t inferior to, say, Maine-Endwell student-athletes, or Tioga Central student-athletes, or well I guess I could keep going, but I have to believe it’s not the student-athletes. Who or what could it be?

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A heart-felt THANK YOU from Happy Tails Rescue to our supporters. If our thrift store continues at this pace, we’ll be able to double our trap / spay and neuter / return efforts or offer inexpensive spaying and neutering to the community. Our best items (antiques / collectibles / gift-worthy / furniture) go to our store, and our inventory is low. We are looking for more, along with rummage sale items, books / media, and redeemable cans and bottles. All donations are tax deductible. Call 687-2433 for information.

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I am a Senior Citizen on a very fixed income. Sometime during the December night of Sunday the 21st, someone removed a large Christmas Teddy Bear from my front porch that I had placed there as part of my Christmas decorations. The Bear was a Christmas gift of years gone by and had a monetary value of about $100 when new. It has far more sentimental value than $100 today. The bear is about 3-feet high and weighs about 35 pounds. It is white with a red vest and Santa Clause type hat. I just don’t understand why some people think this is the season for stealing. If you would have come to my door and asked if you could have had it, I probably would have given it to you. But, to steal it from me? How dreadful and cruel you must be to have to steal from others to make your Christmas a merry one. Parents, if your child or someone you know has brought this Christmas Bear to your home, would you ask them where they got it and please have them return it to where it came from? It is the Season for giving not stealing. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

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On Dec. 18, the OACSD Superintendent began positioning for the ritual property tax increase. His presentation, located at www.oacsd.org/Downloads/BudgetFactorsOverview20152016.pdf, is an island onto itself. There is no relation to past, present, future, District goals, and the REAL issue. It is reaction. OACSD has known the Best Buy tax abatement agreement would reduce this year’s revenues by $500,000. Fully aware of this, increased employee salaries and benefits were committed to, without means to pay for it. This year’s squeeze play is again a “structural deficit”. Will the Superintendent again threaten the career of one of our best teachers to leverage a tax increase?

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Yes, kudos in regards to Haus Road. The town doesn’t take care of the road in the summer either. The dust is so bad you can’t breathe. Forget about opening a window or hanging out clothes all summer long.

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It is not too late to Holiday tip your Pennysaver carrier for his /her delivery service to you all year. Thank you, Pennysaver and staff for a very nice FREE paper each week. Grateful recipient.

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I have misplaced my Owego Fire Company 2 green cap. If someone has found it please call me at 687-2334. Thank you. I cherish it very much.

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Oh my, so the people are now upset about the internet being hacked and private “stuff” being made not private, eh? Well, the solution is obvious: Since old “alpha male” Al Gore supposedly invented the problematic thing in the first place, why isn’t he out there with a fix? C’mon, Al, you made zillions selling out of your holdings to the Al-jazz-eery (sic?) (I thought music was tool of infidels?) folks – who I am sure have the best interest of the U.S. at heart, and it seems that Mother Earth truly doesn’t like you and your panic-themed doomsday approach to “global warming”, (“It’s not nice to fool mother nature, Al Gore”), one would think you would have enough time to fix the stupid Internet. And while we’re at it, do you have enough legal staff to handle all of the liability claims against you for the idiots that walk into traffic or off a bridge or into the wishing well at the mall because they just can’t seem to take their eyes off of their phones long enough to see where they are going? Surely you are responsible for their medical bills or survivor claims? Beam me up, Scotty. Please.