Readers’ Column for the week of April 10, 2016

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.

Thank you to all those who made the first annual Tioga United Way Adult Spelling Bee a great success. Thank you to Adam Weitsman for his generosity and kindness. Thank you to Senator Fred Akshar, Laura Spencer Eberly, Bob Fisher, Sheriff Gary Howard, Newsradio WEBO and the Owego Pennysaver. Thank you to Orville Wright, Anne Grant, Marilyn Fahey, Rose Donnelly, Sara Kemp, Jenn Welch, Abbey Hendrickson, Rachel Cornwell, Mary Strojny, Paula Smith, Jon McNamara and Chief Karen Vinti. Thank you to all our sponsors, the bee teams, as well as those who donated, who bid, who baked, who decorated, who volunteered and all who supported this fundraiser. Please know that all of your time, effort, and love is appreciated by the residents of Tioga County. You have made a difference to the 31 partner agencies of the Tioga United Way. #Give where you live.

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Bernie Sanders won every county in the Wisconsin primary last Tuesday except one. He’s won seven out of the last eight Democratic contests. Hillary Clinton is definitely “feeling the Bern.” New York state voters have a real chance to change the outcome of this election. Bernie Sanders is the only candidate truly committed to helping America’s families and the shrinking middle class. If you look at his record and his positions, he’s the one candidate you can trust to work for you. Your other choices are a crude, flakey billionaire; a two-faced multi-millionaire; and an unpopular Republican senator who claims he wants to strengthen Social Security by cutting benefits and channeling your money into Wall Street. In a year when voters of both parties are rejecting establishment candidates, Sanders stands out as an independent voice representing alienated voters looking for a fair deal from government and a future to believe in.

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What a hoot! Instead of offering irrefutable FACTS on the global warming hoax, the Libs instead want to write laws outlawing disagreement! Now there’s the way to win any argument! Outlaw the opposition, don’t engage in dialogue and offer FACTS! Makes one wonder why, doesn’t it? It is a known fact if you repeat a lie 10 times, people will begin to accept it as fact. I’m thinking that’s definitely at work here too.

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Does anyone know of any dentist in the Owego area that will do a routine cleaning and only charge for that cleaning? The problem with most dentists I have encountered is they recommend a cleaning every six months, but then also hit you up for a dental “evaluation” in addition to the cleaning fee, basically charging an additional $80 or so to “look around in your mouth”. Plus they often try to up-sell you all kinds of x-rays or other services while they have you there. While occasional evaluations or x-rays may be important, especially if you have issues, I doubt they are necessary so often. Upwards of a $200 bill for a 15 to 20 minute routine visit twice a year just seems a bit much.

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Today is April 5. Yesterday I found someone’s little brown furry friend in the middle of East Main Street in Owego. If this friend belongs too you, please call me at (607) 972-8065. I’m sure he will be happy to be reunited with his friend.

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Our government is always talking about bring new business into the state. Then why did the locals award a contract of 132 MILLION to an out of state contractor to fix the Binghamton/Johnson city sewer?

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I think that the depiction of the major political parties as elephants and donkeys is a mistake. As far as I am concerned they are all jackasses!

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Here we go again! Donald Trump blowing off women. He wants them to be punished for having abortions. NO man, or woman for that matter, has the right to tell another woman what she can or cannot do with her body. It is way past time to DUMP TRUMP and move forward with a KASICH/FIORINA Team. April 19 is primary day in New York State. Make your voice heard for positive and thoughtful change.

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I want to send some kudos to the people at Taylor Garbage/Recycling. Whenever I show up with my garbage and debris someone comes out to help and be friendly. Do everything to help these people; they are out in all kinds of weather making our communities more livable.

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Trials, trials, and more trials.

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Amazing. We have the fraudulent occupant of the Oval Office ranting about how we have to find homes for 10,000 Syrian Muslim refugees. How come he doesn’t make the same pitch for CHRISTIAN refugees that have been thoroughly vetted and are from the same area and are being slaughtered if they stay in Syria?

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Why am I voting for Bernie Sanders on April 19? Because he will fight to improve incomes and living standards, create jobs, rebuild the middle class while restoring fairness to our economic system and weed out undemocratic practices in our political system. Can one man do this alone in the face of entrenched political and economic interests that want things left their way? Yes, he can with our help. When he began his campaign, no one thought this unknown senator from Vermont had any chance. For a long time the media virtually ignored him. But everywhere he spoke, people started to listen. The crowds grew, small donations began to pour in, and Bernie became a voice for disaffected and forgotten Americans from coast to coast. None of this would have been possible without the active support of millions of average Americans. People like you and me are the driving force of his campaign. And should he win the presidency, he won’t be going to Washington alone. We the People will be right there with him. Change never comes easy, especially when self-serving organized groups fight to maintain their political advantage. They’ve made quite a mess of things in Washington and have caused the country great harm. Oh, we’ve been lied to, taken advantage of, swindled and screwed by the worst of them, but in the final analysis we can only blame ourselves. This time can be different. It’s up to us, the People, to help President Sanders govern by being active participants in the political process. Join the revolution. Forget party affiliations. Get organized. Create a consensus of good. Let’s work together for a future we can all shape and be proud of. That’s what democracy should be all about.

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Hip Hip Hooray for the deadbeat dads of Tioga and surrounding Counties! A big thank you from me to you – New York State! Keep up the good work.

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They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. Don’t forget our illustrious Congressman Tom Reed is backing Donald Trump all the way.

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The Republican war on women continues. At State Legislative levels you see relentless assaults on healthcare for women of all ages with insane legislation to curb the rights of women to look out for themselves, to think of their bodies as their own. Instead, they are pawns by Republican Legislators and most recently the all out attack on women has cumulated with the leader of the Republican party saying those women who are so unfortunate as to need an abortion must be punished. Will they go to jail? What kind of punishment do they have in mind? Think twice before you vote Republican.

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Don’t they put breaks on cars anymore? Cars sure do breeze right by that Whig Street Newark Valley School when the kids are getting out. All kinds of trucks and cars and that’s not enough, there’s kids out there in the middle of the road on skateboards!

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Follow the news. Because there’s recent uncontrolled yapping that Donald Trump has an unfavorable rating among all American women of 70 percent. He’s catering to the interest of women by giving demonstrations on how they can successfully put the toothpaste back in the tube. Think twice before you vote for Trump.

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If you take a minute and stop and think about it, to the very smart people that are voting for this in New York State – boxing is legal murder. Think about it.

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I am looking for Walter Burlington or his closest surviving relative. His mailing address in 1951 was RD2, Owego. I have valuable property that belongs or belonged to him. If he is not living and you qualify please identify yourself to Dixon and Shumacher, attorneys in Owego.

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This is for the Marxist, Socialist Democrat who opposes Cruz and especially Trump. You are delusional. We have had a slick speaker for president at least from a teleprompter for almost eight years. Nobama had all sorts of good plans to unite us; instead we are Balkanized like never before. Under Nobama the middle class has actually lost, pay wise. The peak occurred 16 years ago. There are 93 million people out of work while people on food stamps approaches 60 million. This so called recovery is non-existent for the middle class while the Marxist Nobama regime has proved, get this, actually skew wealth distribution more to the top one percent. What a joke! No one with the exception of Hillary can do worse than Nobama. The middle class is seething with rage at both political parties. The U.S. needs a non-establishment president. Go Cruz or Trump and vote with your brain this time.

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If our country had dealt with Nazi Germany the same way we are dealing with radical Islam and Sharia Law, we would’ve really been in big trouble. Remember, Chamberlain wanted to appease Hitler but after Chamberlain left it was Winston Churchill that got tough with them. We need a leader who will get tough with Isis and radical Islam.

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I’m very upset about the ads about emphysema that are on TV now. My husband has emphysema, for them to say on TV that he’s going to die and it could be up to two years or a year; first of all the man on the end doesn’t even have oxygen on. It’s very upsetting. I try to cut the ads off before he sees them. I don’t think it’s fair. There are people that are dying out there that don’t need to remember they’re dying from this disease. They know it and they shouldn’t be putting it on TV.

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I agree with one of your readers. Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, is a loser. The first piece of legislation for Ryan was approving more money for Obamacare and Planned Parenthood in the budget. Ryan and his colleagues approved a new budget; Republicans were supposedly against both issues. This was done just before Christmas. They were in a hurry to go on their Christmas vacation. Ask yourself, what has Paul Ryan actually accomplished in his time in politics. About as much as Marco Rubio did in his time in politics. On a scale of 1 to 10 Ryan is about a 3. Not great.

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My, my – Cal Harris again. This is all we hear. In the news, in the news, now he’s going to make more money on a movie, national news, probably write a book. He’s going to get off anyway; this is the fourth time. I’m sure money talks – we all know that. We all know what the outcome is. Why don’t we just let him go, he’s been free, they’ve never done anything to him, they never will. Let him go free and let him go on the sidelines and have a happy life. Let the rest of us move on to more important things.

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Buffoons don’t know whether to laugh or cry but Trump or Cruz did not promise “you can keep your doctor and your health plan and your health insurance premiums will decrease by $2,500 per year per family” under nobamacare like nobama did. Trump or Cruz did not tell the relatives of the dead Americans at Benghazi that the terrorist attacks were due to an unknown video and then say the relative lied about her explanation like Hillary did. Trump or Cruz did not promise naive students free college in exchange for votes like Socialist Democrat Bernie Sanders does. Wake up America.

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Minimum wage workers got their increase and now its time for the social security department to give a cost of living increase that will keep up with inflation. For many years there has been no increase in pay. If a person gets $1,200 a month on social security it breaks down to $7.50 an hour based on a 40-hour workweek. With a one percent increase for the next ten years, the pay will still only be $8.50 an hour. Give the social security people a break!

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The new board in the Village of Owego has been installed. There are three carry over’s and two new guys representing the taxpayers. So let’s hear it for a new and equitable sewer rate for all. They have been blaming Mayor Millar so now there are no excuses. Hop to it.

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Mr. Harris has opted for a judge only trial. If he is found guilty again like the other two jury trials, will he give up the right to appeal? It seems like this should be it.

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I finally figured it out. A conservative is someone who wants an end to all government programs except those from which he personally benefits. As my neighbor put it, “A liberal is a Conservative whose house just got flooded.”