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.
While the majority of Americans are seeing no COLA or wage increase to offset rising out-of-pocket expenses, Wall Street executives and CEOs of America’s largest firms are raking in record incomes. Recent reports show that top CEO’s are making 300 times more than the typical worker.
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I cannot comprehend the opposition to and the disparaging remarks about the new OES. The financing is all from FEMA and NY State Disaster Relief. Changing the design will not change your Federal or State taxes at all. Not one cent. There are no local property tax funds involved either. Therefore for all intents and purposes all the new buildings (OES, admin. and maintenance) are free from your personal pocketbook’s perspective. With modern construction techniques and energy management systems they will cost less to maintain. Why not get nice buildings if we can? I guess there are people out there that think the new buildings should just be a collection of Quonset huts.
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What a hoot! Our “president” used some statistics, entirely made up when speaking to a room full of chiefs of police. He was totally made to look like the idiot he is when they completely undid him with REAL facts, which showed gun ownership is not the problem and that places, like Chicago, with the most severe gun ownership laws are often where there is the most gun violence because the good guys can’t defend themselves against the bad guys. Good for them. Finally truth to the rescue!
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Taking a critical look at the last two Democratic administrations, it is obvious that the one percent and Wall Street have fared far better economically than almost everyone else. Bill Clinton was instrumental in deregulating the financial markets by helping to repeal the Depression era Glass-Steagall Act. Barack Obama has created the illusion of strong regulation of Wall Street with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Clinton’s complicity in dismantling Glass-Steagall unleashed the too-big-to-fail financial institutions that took down our economy in 2008. Under Obama, Wall Street has reached record highs despite mostly dismal economic news for the rest of us. From 2009 to 2012, 95 percent of income gains went to the top one percent. Robert Rubin, Clinton’s treasury secretary, helped push through the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. The same year, Rubin joined Citigroup with a ten-year $126 million deal. Rubin was on Citigroup’s board when the bank imploded in 2008 and received the biggest taxpayer bailout in history: $476.2 billion in cash and guarantees. Wall Street Democrats rely heavily on campaign contributions from Wall Street, and they often use their roles as legislators or regulators to favor the interests of industries affected by legislation and regulation, like Citigroup. It’s time to stop the revolving door in Washington that favors large corporations over the public interest.
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We drove by the South Apalachin youth football field and the game day A-Frames were set up right next to the entrance of the Field. When people travel Pennsylvania Avenue and are not from this area they are upon the field before you see the signs. We are afraid some one might get hurt. Our suggestion is to put one of the game day signs next to South Apalachin Road on the on the south side lane and the other sign next to the South Apalachin Fire Station on the north side of the road. This would give travelers enough time to slow down.
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This is for the low information devotee of the manmade climate change myth. Suppose someone assigned to YOU the job of creating global climate change? What would you do? How would you accomplish something on that scale? See why it’s kind of absurd from the get-go?
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Its Great Connie Won Candor Town Clerk, but very sad for the Town Board that Stroszhal won again. Hopefully he remembers Candor is a town, NOT the State. It shouldn’t’ be run like the state contracts. Just remember that Mr. Srtoszhal. You work for the state and get paid a lot more money than the town highway guys. I think they should be paid more for all the hard work they do, especially during the winter months. I never see these guys sitting around like the state workers do.
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A discussion of the new OES (and admin building) and its features, complete with drawings, were shown to the public in information sessions prior to the vote. Perhaps the people now opposed should have attended one and voiced their concerns.
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The LaPlante family thanks all of our friends and neighbors that brought us food, cards and stopped in to offer their condolences and prayers at this difficult time. It is very upsetting to lose a child. We are blessed to live in such a caring community.
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If you lost a young female tiger cat in the vicinity of Greenwood Park within the last six weeks, know that she has found a safe, loving forever home. Thank you for having had her spayed. That saves us a lot of money. She is a beautiful little kitty and she will be very well cared for, including keeping her INSIDE only, so that she won’t get “lost” again!
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At Tenderfoot Craft Circle, we are still knitting and crocheting afghans, hats, mittens, and other items to donate to the needy folks in our area. Yarn is again in short supply. We would love to give your unwanted yarn – any kind, any amount – a good home. If you are cleaning out your yarn stash and can help us out with a donation of yarn, please phone 659-5739 to arrange pick-up. We certainly appreciate all of you who have donated yarn to us, and we can assure you that you have helped to keep lots of toes, fingers, heads, and shoulders warm. Thank you!
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Are you ready for another Wall Street crash? The country is still suffering from the terrible aftershocks of the 2008 economic collapse, but the danger of another serious recession has not been removed. The “too-big-to-fail” banks are even larger than they were in 2008, and they are operating in much the same way now as they were then. The stock market crash in 1929 led to the Great Depression. One of the reform programs essential to making banking and stock market investing safer was the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. Glass-Steagall allowed banks to accept deposits and make loans or to gamble in the market, but not both. This created a firewall between high-risk trading investment banks and the government-insured deposits of commercial banks. It also kept the taxpayers off the hook for investment bank excesses. This law worked exactly as it was intended for 66 years, until it was repealed in 1999 with the blessing of the Clinton administration. Seeking to tap into the large pool of commercial bank deposits, the big Wall Street banks convinced Republican Senator Phil Gramm and Bill Clinton to strike a deal to repeal Glass-Steagall. With the firewall gone, it took less than a decade for Wall Street to take down the U.S. economy while making billions in profits at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. When asked if Hillary Clinton favored reinstating Glass-Steagall, an economic advisor for the Democratic candidate said she would not propose such a law. Her chief rival for the nomination said he would. What would you do?
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Donald Trump is not against immigrants, just illegal ones. Makes sense to me!
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Republicans and Conservatives are really stupid to go to a debate hosted by Democrat Shills like CNBC excluding the obviously left wing bias, the winner was Ted Cruze followed closely by Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. Republicans should wise up and only appear before moderators like Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Riley. They better wise up.
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Ithaca is 10 square miles surrounded by reality. The Democratic there is organizing a campaign for Hillary, a known liar. She and Obama told the general public and those who lost loved ones in Benghazi it was a video that caused the uprising, yet the committee to investigate said situation uncovered that Hillary emailed her daughter Chelsea it was a terror attack on Benghazi. Does Chelsea have a security clearance? Is there a breach here to be followed up?
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I wonder why everyone says social security needs to be fixed. First, how many seniors know there was $700 million dollars taken out of the social security fund to help fund Obamacare. This week $170 million was taken out of social security to avoid a government shutdown. A piece of paper called an IOU was put into the social security foundation. Everyone knows that money will never be paid back. You just can’t take out large amounts of money and never pay it back and wonder why social security is in trouble. This has been going on for years. This is why big government never works.
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In 2013 the liar in chief said he would never put U.S. boots on the ground in Syria. Guess what? Now he says at least 50 Special Forces are being sent to Syria but they are only advisors. Where are the journalists who can look into nobama’s promise to Putin that he would be more flexible after the election? Where is the investigating into the secret protocols that Obama will not make public which he made to Iran while handing over $300 million to the Iranian militants. The lame stream media aides the nobama cover up’s instead of exposing them.
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From an Independent. What would have happed if HRC former First Lady, Senator from New York and Secretary of State of the United States indicated a pre-planned attack that couldn’t have been prevented and ability to intercede was not available? I share the responsibility. How much media coverage would have been lost? Tremendous planning. What a genius – $5 million Federal Common Core $7.6 million State.
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After reading the complaints every week, it’s really nice and refreshing to be able to give you a story about somebody that was nice enough to save me from hitting a deer today. I was coming down Pennsylania Avenue, right before getting to the Apalachin / Pennsylvania line. I saw a black SUV stopped on the other side with a bunch of cars behind. All of a sudden they flipped their high beams on me because I was driving along coming towards them. I slowed down and all of a sudden this large deer came jumping over the guardrail and ran across the road. If they didn’t flip their high beams at me I would have probably hit that deer and had a lot of aggravation and cost. If the person reads this, I really want to thank them.
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With so many people choosing to have celebrations of life versus calling hours and somber times at a funeral home, I think funeral homes should upgrade to trays of wine and snacks being passed around so people don’t have to leave the funeral home and go somewhere else to communicate with each other. This would eliminate the somber stand in line and shake hands and don’t know what to say. I think its time the funeral homes update to this modern day version.
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Those wishing to participate in identifying “specifics of Common Core” should collect appropriate information during the month of November. Record and document – exclude name, date and location. Remember retribution, vindictiveness and intimidation. A mailing address may be available Dec. 1. Participants could gather and share. Support he Commissioner of Education Elea’s effort.
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I’d just like to say what a great bunch of guys you have on your paving crew. They are very professional. They said they would come back and fix the bump where they paved in front of my driveway. It looks very good. They were pretty steady and they are a good bunch of guys. They did a nice job!
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What is the Town of Newark Valley Town Board going to do about the Newark Valley EMS that they are paying for? They don’t seem to be answering calls and are putting all the taxpayers in jeapordy if something serious happens while waiting for them to respond.
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Boo hoo, poor little Hillary; those big bad Republicans are picking on her. She always said the Republicans have a war on women. That’s bunk. What do you think she did with the women hubby Bill was playing with? He destroyed them. If she’d been a defender of women she would have defended those women and divorced dear old Bill. She did not because whatever happens to the little people is just fine with her, as long as it does not affect her.
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Black Friday bowling is coming up. It’s free bowling, free soda, and free pizza at Owego Bowl for all school age children. Hope to see you there!
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How can Owego justify using the street cleaner almost everyday of the spring, summer and fall? It seems absurd.
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Whoever designed or approved that new school building must have a degree in ugly architecture.
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What kind of cowards are the Republican candidates for president? They are afraid to answer questions from professional news and media people. How would they possibly interact with world leaders! They cannot handle the United States media. Why are they so terrified? Why can’t they explain how massive tax cuts will not lead to more wealth for the wealthy and more poverty for the middle class and the poor? They cannot have everything their way. Who would vote for these bums?
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When it’s raining headlights lights are supposed to be on. Why do so many not have them on? Also, could someone please adjust the traffic light in Newark Valley so that Route 38 doesn’t get the red light when there is no side road traffic?
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I’m looking for an igloo doghouse or regular doghouse. I would like to keep my dog nice and warm this winter with some hay. If anybody has one they are no longer using and would like to get rid of, please call 659-3871.
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I didn’t get my little message put in last week. Maybe it was forgotten or misplaced. Do you people realize that all that personal money Donald Trump is spending will be tax deductible? The IRS is going to have egg on its face and we’re going to pay for it!
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This is a special thank you to the Apalachin Lions Club for hosting the annual senior citizens dinner last week at Donoli’s. It was fun to visit old friends and neighbors. The meal by Donoli’s was delicious. Also, a thank you to Tops for fruit baskets and to Ye Ole’ Country Florist for flowers for the ladies. The entertainment by Wayne and Carol Beddle was beautiful. Even Don Castellucci’s jokes were entertaining. It was a special affair and greatly appreciated.
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The senior citizens will not be getting an increase in their social security checks for 2016. The government says it’s because the price of gasoline is so low that it balances it out. Food prices, housing taxes, prices of sports events, auto parts and service, almost everything you can think of the price has increased. They can afford to build a gas station in Afghanistan for $43 million and the estimate was about $500,000. The seniors could have used a small increase to their monthly checks. Better than building a $43 million gas station in Afghanistan. Somebody had to okay that price.
