Readers’ Column for the week of June 11, 2017

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.

I think of the Village and Town of Newark Valley as just Newark Valley, as I hope all of the other residents do. This is our community, and we need to keep our bridges and roads in repair to keep current residents safe and to encourage the future growth of our community. I hope Silk Street and Dr. Knapp Road bridges will be replaced. 

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Have you noticed all the beautiful rhododendrons in Owego? We should call Owego rhododendron village. 

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Could someone please explain to me why a vehicle turning left on a green light would think they have the right away over a car turning right with a green light onto the highway? Unless I didn’t pay attention in driver’s ed., and have been mistaken for the past 40 years, I thought turning right had the right of way over a left hand turn. Could someone please check into this at the Route 66 on ramp to 17 before some bonehead going through the green light turning left in front of someone turning right causes an accident. 

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I think it’s great they have the work release for the Riverside Cemetery in Apalachin, however there is more to the cemetery than just the new side. The old side needs attention too and most times I think is forgotten. 

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Is it legal to spotlight a bright light into someone’s home? If I said anything to them, asked them what they were doing or if they were looking for something, I would just get major attitude, so I didn’t say anything. Is it legal to shine bright lights in someone else’s home?

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The Mayor and the Village Board of Owego are talking about demolishing 90 Temple St., which now houses the Owego Police Department as well as the Owego court, former home of the superintendent of the Owego Apalachin School District and School Board for many years. Prior to that it was a community center where many played basketball prior to the Police Department. This historic building also resides out of the flood district, was not flooded in the 2011 flood and I feel it should definitely not be torn down because of this historical significance. It’s a crown jewel that should be preserved. 

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I have a question about the demolishing the Village of Owego Court, what is the reason for that? No one has ever said what the reason was for abolishing that court. Just wondering if someone on the village board or the Mayor would write in and tell us what the reason for that is.

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Just wondering why nobody seems to be taking care of the Riverwalk any more. When my friend and I were down there for lunch it didn’t seem to be well kept, lots of weeds. 

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Who is responsible for keeping the Nichols Post Office clean? The weeds haven’t been cut all year and are three feet high! The eaves are filthy with cobwebs and the door jam on the front door broken and shabby. Come on Nichols! 

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I can still remember when grandparents were the Smartphone’s of the day.

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Fighting bacteria: “Proving once again that some of the best technologies are those derived from nature, researchers have developed a bacteria-fighting silicone surface inspired by the wings of the dragonfly. As Beth Mole reports in Science News (Dec. 28, 2013), the research, which was first published in Nature Communications, says that the bacteria-resistant surface can be incorporated into the coatings of medical instruments and food-processing equipment, greatly reducing the risks of infection.

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Why are those pleasant young ladies from MEGA twisting the arms of our town and village supervisors, trying to switch our residential electricity supply from NYSEG? We already have direct access to very low price electricity with companies like Energy Cooperative of America. And unlike NYSEG, or MEGA’s choice on our behalf, Energy Cooperative provides 100 percent renewable electricity. If you decide to make the change, Energy Coop of America and their price (now 3.5 cents/kwh) will be on your NYSEG bill where you can keep an eye on the price and leave with no penalty if you wish. Their phone is (716) 580-3506.

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Congratulations to the Owego Hose Team Inc. in partnership with the Marine Corp League on an outstanding golf tournament held at Tioga Country Club. It was one of the best-organized tournaments that I have ever seen. Proceeds from the tournament are to restore the Bakers Fireman’s Fountain and two Scholarships of $1,000.00 to two deserving high school kids. I can’t wait to see the restoration of the fountain and what you will pick as a project next year. Again, well done.

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I don’t know if it is possible for a village to secede from a town. It’s probably better to just dissolve the village. In any event the school district is a separate entity. It isn’t part of either the village or the town.

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Do you think that Mark Clark makes the decisions on what kind of work and where highway money is spent? The Highway Superintendent is a scapegoat for the Town Board. The Town Board has the final say where and what is done until it becomes a political issue, then the Highway Superintendent takes the hit. As far as appointing a Highway Superintendent by the Town Board you are just asking for a puppet.

National Political Viewpoints

The Democrats make everything political. What about the American people? They have truly lost touch. That’s exactly why Hillary is not our president.

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The unhinged, deranged, devious, disarrayed, delusional Marxist Democrats and their leader Hillary still cannot believe they lost because Hillary was unlikeable, horribly unsuccessful and a horrible candidate. The Democrat National Committee rigged the primary in Hillary’s favor, and Bernie still backs Hillary to this day! We know the media funneled debate questions secretly to Hillary and she still lost! She spent six times more money than Trump, did not campaign in swing states, had no plan for the future, and her only ploy was she was a woman. Give me a break! Hillary should get over it. She should fade away into the sunset and say goodbye forever. Good ridden to her and her lackeys. 

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It happened again in London. The trio who did that attack last Saturday needs to be rounded up and hung one by one. I’m all in favor of hanging the ones who did it. 

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The American people are being left behind. I wish the Democrats would get down to business and work with Mr. Trump so he can do what we, the people, elected him to do. Politics has become a huge turnoff. Why are we still talking about Russia? The American people are concerned about jobs, the economy, immigration, security and healthcare. The people spoke in November. The way to the White House is the Electoral College and not a percent of the popular vote.

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Now it has been proven never colluded with the Russians or hacked the election from Hillary Clinton it’s time for the real criminals to be investigated; the real people who colluded with the Russians – Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and a few others down the line. I sure hope they investigate them and get them because they are definitely the guilty ones.

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Interesting. We’ve all seen the horrible carnage created by terrorists in the U.K. and France. For your consideration, both those places prohibit private citizens from owning firearms, PERIOD! The number one item ordered from Amazon by U.K. residents is baseball bats – for self-defense. I wonder if there had been a good guy with a gun on the scene when a bad guy with a gun appeared, or a suicide vest, or whatever, if the end result just might be different? Think about it!

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Daily, I keep up with science news. There are basically two types of news, reports on scientific papers and events of scientific interest. Almost without exception all news remotely related to the environment is reported with a zealous global warming bias. Opinion (global warming did, may, or will occur) is injected as fact, facts omitted, fallacious arguments added, and falsehoods. To reinforce their global warming zeal old news is regurgitated many times, spun again, and presented as new. Never is comment included on a scientific paper using questionable data, a complex computer model, or bad methods ever mentioned. Complex computer / mathematical models (garbage in garbage out) are intellectual arrogance of the first order. These assume to know much more than we do. Whether science or general news those reporting show the same zealous bias and scientific depth of Al Gore. This is the modern equivalent of burning heretics and books. It makes you wonder if Global Warning really is a hoax. Its wonderful that President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement. And to see so many states and cities announce they will work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Agreement is a feel-good hoax, which does more damage than good. Obama had no authority to enter this treaty, only Congress does, which he bypassed. 

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Isn’t it pathetic that the Liberals in this country think that their sorry whining over losing the election to Donald Trump takes precedence over the good of this country? The Liberal Democrats are standing in the way of moves our President needs to make to get us out of the mess Nobama accomplished in his eight too long years in office. The reason, the cry baby attitude over having lost the election. Voters will remember this obstructionist nonsense come election time. God forbid there is a terrorist event in this country like there has been in the U.K., the Liberals will be made to pay next election!

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TrumpCare would dramatically increase premiums for Americans between the ages of 50 and 64, by allowing insurers to charge them five times as much as younger people (or even more, if a state gets a waiver). A 64-year-old making $26,500 would pay 920 percent more in premiums than they do now. — From Indivisible

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Articles of impeachment against Nixon were passed by a House committee. Nixon resigned before the full house could vote. He resigned because key Republican Senators told him they would vote to convict. So technically he wasn’t impeached, but in reality he was.

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Every credible scientist in the world considers global warming to be a serious threat. We have a President and 20 plus members of congress who deny its very existence. That scares the heck out of me.