Readers’ Column for the week of March 29, 2015

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.

Come on you very intelligent people out there! Do the figuring. How come after all these years, and two trials and into the third, we suddenly come up with two suspects from Texas? Why weren’t they even investigated with the other two trials? How did they suddenly come into the picture for a maybe decision? Come on, figure it out. You know darn well he’s guilty. Come on Cal, smile and just tell the truth!

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One of the calls this week is a sterling example of how the democrats spend their agenda to gain votes. The republicans are NOT cutting programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, etc. In future they are NOT going to go along with the huge increases scheduled for these programs. Everyone has to live within their means. This country is so far in the hole now it is doubtful it will ever recover, and then no one will have anything at all! In other words, if a family is deeply in debt they can hardly afford to increase giving to their favorite charity no matter how deserving, then they end up even worse off. Stop blindly believing whatever you are fed without doing your research. You are playing to the politicians’ hands whenever you do that. Whatever Party you support, try to get all the facts first. The republicans are looking for votes too, of course. Just try to be as smart as you can. Too many on both sides are out for themselves and DO NOT have your best interest in mind.

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To the person who complained about not being able to vote on St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is typically a drinking holiday and therefore drinking is not allowed when you are voting for an election, so you cannot claim your vote was shaded by your alcohol consumption.

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To the person who complained that the red bows were taken off the bridge in Newark Valley where two people lost their lives. Highway Departments, state and local, are starting to take down any memorials along roadsides because they get tattered, ugly and weathered after awhile. Nobody maintains them; they put them up and do not maintain them. Highway Departments do not want them there.

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There is no thing called justice anymore in Tioga County. Human life has no meaning. Will something please explain to me how a man driving drunk with his car can kill another man jogging along the road with his wife, leave the scene of the accident and has previous alcohol convictions can be sentenced by the county judge to 1 1/2 to 41/2 years in prison? This is a slap on the wrist! The next thing to happen is Cal Harris after three trials will walk free for the murder of his wife Michelle.

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A HUGE to thank you to Pantry Pigs and the Flemingville Methodist church for teaming up and providing our community with not only a great meal but also a great night of fellowship. Everyone in attendance also was able to leave with packages of meat supplied by Pantry Pig. A community brought together in such a positive way and a great time for all. God bless you all. This is what Tioga County is all about, people looking after each other.

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This is the old man on the hill. It’s Saturday morning, and I never have seen, in my 80 years, anything so ridiculous. Town of Owego Highway? I mean there was no organization, no supervision to speak of and it’s just plain ridiculous! I know one thing they could do, get rid of truck 3 and put it back in the pit where it belongs! That would save the taxpayers a bundle of money!

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Being from out of town, we are looking to buy a home in Vestal or Apalachin, no children yet. We heard they had and open house in the Tioga/Vestal district so we went. We were very pleased with the school. We walked down the hall and saw a room for autistic children. Three stars for this teacher, your room was great! Tioga, you have a great school, very friendly, we know where we want to build right now. Thank you very much!

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In answer in regards to the message that Cal Harris is such a nice person. If he is so nice why has he been convicted three times of being a killer? Maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with money? Did they ever stop and think about that? Anybody else if they didn’t have the money they would have done the time. This guy is never going to do the time; he’s going to get away with it again. It’s just a waste of time and money and energy. The only ones getting rich are the Harris’. Who will make more money? Cal will, he’ll be writing a book or doing a movie. What next? What about Michele’s family, they just get kicked in the dirt.

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Today Ted Cruz announced to run for president. That is truly fabulous news for America. Cruz, Rand Paul, and Governor Walker are three patriots who just might be able to end the destruction of the U.S.A. economy, power and moral fiber engineered by the abomination known as the Obama regime.

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Well apparently the 2016 presidential race has been kicked off. Senator Cruz formally announced he’s going to be running. Since he’s early perhaps I will make a couple of comments early, also. 1. We don’t need another Clinton in the White House. 2. We don’t need another Bush in the White House. 3. We don’t need another career politician in the White House. So of the people that have indicated they might be interested in running to the best of my knowledge that only leaves two names. Donald Trump and Ben Carson. To be perfectly honest I would vote for either one of those people before I’d vote for any one of those crooks!

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Could St. Patrick’s school in Owego be changed to a charter school so it could stay open?

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Thanks to the little coward in Apalachin who stole my yellow snow pole. You must be really proud you brave thief, to do that to a handicapped person.

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This is to the person who found my wallet last Wednesday night at the open house at school. I just wish you would have found it in your heart to return it. I hope you got yourself something good with it while I sit here wondering how I’m going to pay my bills and how to explain to a 7-year old that the Easter bunny won’t be stopping by our house.

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Thank you to the Supreme Court of New York for seeing through the greed and not the need of the teachers unions. Your decision to keep the 2 percent tax cap and to shoot their request down is admirable.

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Now that we have won the battle and prevented fracking in New York based on the scientific data’ I want to live true to my beliefs and I don’t want to use any fracked products such as natural gas or gasoline from oil which was fracked out of state. I want only frack-free products, and if all of New York would do the same and boycott fracked products it would surely make a difference. That would be amazing!

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My daughter lost her phone between Apalachin and Endicott. If anyone finds it they can call 642-8725.

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I’d like to comment on the unprofessional tactics at Tioga Central School by teachers. The school is proposing 30 percent tax increase in taxes, and students in all buildings are being told by teachers to have your parents vote yes or the school will close. The school is not closing – it is a scare tactic. Children should not be involved.

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The proposed TPP law would infringe on United States sovereignty and kill most regulations involving businesses in banking, tobacco, pharmaceuticals etc. Setting us up for another economic crash, preventing advertisements against tobacco and allowing poisons in our pills. Call your states senators – Schumer and Gillibrand – and your congressman – Reed or Hanna – and tell them NO to TPP.

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The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) would allow foreign corporations to sue the United States government for actions that undermine their investment “expectations” and hurts their business. Call your Congressman and tell him NO.

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Do you do your own wallpapering, or know someone that does? We have a small bathroom that needs to have old paper torn off and new put on; top half only of the walls. Certainly willing to pay to have this done. We have the materials to do it. Located in Richford, and if interested in doing this small project please call 657-2624. Thanks.

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This is in reply to the person looking for someone to do sewing alterations in the Apalachin area. I do sewing alterations to include hems and zippers, etc. I am located east of Owego. If you are interested, call Jean at 687-2069.

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“The moral crisis of our age has nothing to do with gay marriage or abortion; it’s insider trading, obscene CEO pay, wage theft from ordinary workers, Wall Street’s continued gambling addiction, corporate payoffs to friendly politicians, and the billionaire takeover of our democracy.” Robert Reich

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In July 2008, the United States Department of Justice investigated around 900 cases of alleged fraud committed by contractors. Similarly, the Defense Contract Audit Agency uncovered $10 billion in questionable Iraq contracts, and a U.S. audit found that the occupation authority had lost track of reconstruction funds, totaling nearly $9 billion. Henry Waxman, then Chairman of the United States House of Representative’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform stated, “The money that’s gone into waste, fraud, and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, it’s egregious. It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history.” Isn’t this a more important effort to save money rather than cutting back on food stamps, privatizing Social Security or cutting back on school aid?

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So, now it’s come to light that our “Dear Leader” used taxpayer funds to attempt to influence the vote in Israel involving Netanyahu. I don’t know about you, but I authorized no such use of my money. Luckily, the attempt failed and Netanyahu prevailed. If the role was reversed and our “Dear Leader” discovered an outside source was involved in an attempt to have him defeated, oh Lordy, would we be subjected to wails and moans?

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Simply eliminating the cap on income subject to the FICA tax, currently set at the first $118,500 of earned income, would make the Social Security system fully able to pay all promised benefits for the next century or more. Extending the tax to cover unearned income — basically capital gains (a tax that only impacts the wealthy) would allow for an expansion of benefits.

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Social Security is not broke or doomed, but simply needs to be better funded by ending the free pass given to the wealthy.

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While the GOP claims to be helping farmers and small businesses, the real beneficiaries of estate tax repeal are the wealthy, one percenters who hoard more money than they could possibly spend in a hundred life times. Don’t believe the hype.

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It dawned on Thomas Edison that sunshine could drive both his inventions and his friend Henry Ford’s horseless carriages. “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy,” he told Ford and Harvey Firestone, another enterprising inventor. “What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

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It sure looks like Cal’s lawyers do not have any case so they are trying to wear down the judge, the jury, and break Tioga County’s treasury. It is pretty sad that they can tie everything up and have called for EIGHT mistrials already and the trial is not halfway done. Sad. The lawyers will probably take a whopper of a paycheck out of Harris’ pockets, too.