Readers’ Column for the week of Sept. 27, 2015

I went to the new Owego-Apalachin elementary school yesterday. It is a disgrace that it is about five times as big as the one that was flooded. The disgrace is that we got the Federal and State government to foot the bill at our expense. It would seem like the Owego Superintendent and the Owego-Apalachin school board should be prosecuted for such an overstatement of the flood loss.

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“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.” — Pope Francis

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“It would be hard for anyone in this room today to make the case that the United States of America, our great country, a country which all of us love — it would be hard to make the case that we are a just society, or anything resembling a just society today. When we talk about morality, and when we talk about justice, we have to, in my view, understand that there is no justice when so few have so much and so many have so little.” — Bernie Sanders

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To the reader from Tioga Central School District who is concerned about out of control spending, inept School Boards, Administrators and School Taxes – there are actions you can take. (1) Go Vote! It is the only tax bill you pay which you get to personally vote to accept or reject. So on May 19, 2016 go VOTE NO on the proposed budget! (You can vote yes if the increase is moderate and affordable to the community). Then ignore the weeping, sobbing and threats to negatively impact the children’s education. This won’t happen. Then you VOTE NO on the second proposed budget (commonly called the Contingency Budget) unless it has a “zero” Tax Levy increase. You vote it down twice and there will be NO Increase in your property tax bill for 2017. (2) Start attending your local School Board Meetings and listen. See if you hear any discussions regarding spending, either to increase or decrease spending. I’ll bet NO! It’s my experience, after six years of attending, that all school board members are trained to accept proposed budgets with no debate and without question. (3) Contact me at golferjoe1650@aol.com. I’ll fill you in on what I’ve learned. You can take it from there.

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“In the short time since Trump declared his candidacy, he has performed a public service by exposing, however crudely and at times inadvertently, the posturing of both the Republicans and the Democrats and the foolishness and obsolescence of much of the political culture they share. He is, as many say, making a mockery of the entire political process with his bull-in-a-china-shop antics. But the mockery in this case may be overdue, highly warranted, and ultimately a spur to reform rather than the crime against civic order that has scandalized those who see him, in the words of the former George W. Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson, as ‘dangerous to democracy’”. — From “Donald Trump is Saving Our Democracy” by Frank Rich

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To the mayor and trustees of the Village of Owego. You should be ashamed of yourselves for not coming up with a more equitable cost for the sewer for all users. If the water works can charge by volume, you should be able to do the same thing. I am sure that the residents of the village would greatly appreciate a solution. How about it?

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When are they going to paint the lines on Halsey Valley Road? Been this way all summer. Fog is so thick you guess where the road is, especially at night. There are kids waiting for school buses. It’s an accident waiting to happen. What is wrong with this county? It is so screwed up!

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In times of political divisiveness and moral weakness, Pope Francis has come to our country bringing his message of social justice, brotherhood, and the common good. Just as Jesus went among the “least of these” (Matthew 25) ministering to the poor and the oppressed, Pope Francis promotes the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels by walking in his footsteps. In the rush of modern life and our pursuit of material gain, have we become blind and deaf to needs of our fellow man? Can there be moral and social justice when we fail to include those less fortunate from sharing the benefits and opportunities of our wealthy society? Let me give you an example: In 2014, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier distributed over 10 million pounds of food to 151 agencies in six counties. Sixty-five percent of households receiving assistance had incomes at or below the federal poverty level. In a nation as wealthy as ours, in a nation that calls itself compassionate and just, how can such conditions be allowed to exist? Pope Francis has given us a lot to think about.

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You can always know what the Progressives fear, because they attack relentlessly; example, Trump. Why Donald Trump would be expected to defend the current occupant of the Oval Office is beyond me. Look at the log of visitors to the White House. Delegations from the Muslim Brotherhood outnumber others by a wide margin! Look at the “presidential” reaction to a National Day of Prayer. He either doesn’t participate, or does so with obvious reluctance. Show me where he’s proclaimed himself a Christian, yet he’s referred to the Muslim call to prayer as one of his fondest memories. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, he referred to his “Muslim faith” on air, only to be corrected by Stephanopoulos. Mistake, or slip of the tongue?

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I would like to correct some of the info I wrote in earlier this month regarding the acts of Planned Parenthood. In the latest edition of the Owego Pennysaver, the comments made were printed saying that Planned Parenthood was receiving five million dollars yearly from the American taxpayers – it was supposed to read “five hundred million” dollars. Also, the reference to contact Senators and Representatives or whoever is in charge was supposed to say to “defund” the support of Planned Parenthood, not “defend”. So sorry this comment read came out erroneously.

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Lets give our veterans congressional benefits and give congressmen current veteran benefits and watch how fast things change.

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The twitching baby scenario was NOT in the actual Planned Parenthood meeting recordings. This has been confirmed by several different news agencies.

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The Town of Owego Fire District is NOT part of the Town of Owego. It is a completely separate entity with its own board and its own taxing authority. Calling the Town Supervisor is meaningless. If a new fire district is formed it would include at least the Village of Owego and parts of the Town of Tioga. It would have its own board just like all other fire districts. The Village of Owego would not be its boss and would not appoint the district board members. It would set its own tax rates.

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Why does someone think they are more qualified than the school superintendent and the school board to determine the requirements of, the qualifications for, and thus who is qualified to be an assistant superintendent? And that doesn’t even to begin to cover the misunderstanding of how the organization is set up.

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Hillary WAS trying to be funny with the “wipe the computer” comment. That someone thinks it was a serious description is amazing.

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No one said the Tioga Central taxes weren’t going up. They were quite clear that they would. Gural’s gift reduced, not eliminated the impact. Anyone surprised by the increase wasn’t paying attention. By the way, the state pays 90 percent of your school’s costs. You’re getting off easy compared to most districts.

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If Brown’s Lane is a public road why does someone think the public cannot use it?

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You can’t be on a county or town board if you don’t reside there. Which two people are the subjects of the question and what proof of ineligibility is being offered? We need better schools. We haven’t educated people well enough.

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What a laugh, Hillary trying to school Trump on being politically correct. Hah! In 2008, Hillary was asked if she thought Nobama was Muslim. Her response, ”Not as far as I know.” She went on to express doubts as to his country of birth. Now, she appears to have developed amnesia about that whole thing! Again, caught in another lie! She’s not qualified to be dogcatcher, let alone anything else!

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Working families have faced dramatic financial suffering and insecurity since the Great Recession. Nearly half of all American families are living paycheck to paycheck. Inflation-adjusted real wages have been flat or falling for decades. The median income of all working households has decreased over 9 percent since 2007, and there is no relief in sight. Why do we keep electing politicians who talk about creating good jobs but do not promote the policies that would deliver them? And why do the policies these politicians promote consistently improve corporate profits but not the wages of middle and low-income families? We deserve a fair economy that works for everyone.

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Common Core: The “not so public” public schools. Does the contract, being evaluated by the New York State Attorney General, contain the same stimulations as the contract with the previous provider of services? Testing: content, protocol, evaluation, data collection, organization, interpretation; security before, during, after, related to Field Test questions. Where does the test scoring occur? Timeframe involving taking, securing, scoring, providing the results, program evaluation and modification? Why are there so many needed per the employment opportunity website for the company? Who needs Common Core?

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I have a lot of VCR tapes, some still in the package that are free to anyone that is interested. Call 765-2567.

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I think the residents of Owego should be very proud of the high caliber of police officers we have here. They put their lives on the line every day for us. We should be very grateful to them for a job well done. So please support them in every way you can.

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In response to the lady about touch lamps. There are usually two different kinds in the base of your lamp that can be purchased at any hardware store, as a rule.

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Follow the news. The Republicans are at it again. Upset about controlling peoples’ lives. They insist that social life be conducted as they would want it conducted not as they do. Now they once again are trying to destroy healthcare for women. Why can’t they do something about the roads? Take care of the roads, the bridges. Healthcare for everybody is a problem. Why do the Republicans have to keep hacking away at healthcare for women by trying to destroy the services of Planned Parenthood. Call your congressman and ask him if he’s still awake.

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I’ve been getting interference over my stereo and it’s really annoying. I don’t think the person who’s talking on the radio realizes how annoying it is for me. Sometimes it drowns out the radio. I wish they would cut back on it.

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This is for Mr. Clark, Town of Owego Superintendent. If he knew what he was doing when he got sworn in he would know he needs to talk to the public. I don’t agree with the supervisor and the board on what they’re trying to do, but he’s wrong too.

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I would just like to thank some of the businesses and people who have planted flowers in front of their homes and businesses. My number one pick would be Steve Scoville, Ohara’s, Tom Ash Insurance, and there’s plenty more but I can’t name them all.