Readers’ Column for the week of Jan. 14, 2018

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.

If you or anyone you know is going to file for Unemployment Benefits online, you must start on the NYS Dept of Labor home page at www.labor.ny.gov. This address must go in the ADDRESS BAR, do NOT put it in a SEARCH ENGINE bar such as Google, Bing, etc. We are seeing more and more customers who have filed through 3rd party sites they chose on a list that dropped down because they put the address in the search bar or just searched for unemployment insurance. A 3rd party site will ask for financial information, credit card information, and/or credit score information; these sites are NOT the NYS Dept of Labor home page! Please do not give out personal financial information to any site. The NYS Dept of Labor does not ask for financial or credit information. Once you put in www.labor.ny.gov, the home page seen on this post will immediately come up. IF IT DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY come up to this page, you are not on the correct screen. Any questions, please contact the Tioga Employment Center or any Workforce Center near you.

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Why is the enforcement of the Owego Village codes and ordinances not being done? Why is the Village so full of lazy and/or indifferent people, when it comes to cleaning their sidewalks of snow?

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Unless you too are planning on staying and/or sleeping outside with your dogs/cats under a down blanket in this frigid air, please bring them inside. They are mammals just like humans with circulatory systems and are only able to regulate their body temperatures to a certain degree. This temperature will vary depending on the size, breed and age of your pet but typically anywhere from 40 degrees F or below can certainly begin to put an animal in danger. Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can quickly put animals in danger of frostbite, hypothermia and death. This is especially true for small animals and elderly pets that are no longer able to regulate their core body temperature as efficiently as they used to. As owners, we are given a special responsibility to care for our animals in the best way possible everyday of their lives. Let’s make sure we live up to being worthy of such an amazing opportunity. God Bless All Of Our Animals!”

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To the lady that stopped to ask if I wanted a ride when I was walking home from Price Chopper on Friday when it was so cold, you are the type of person that gives hope for humanity. Even though I was very close to home and declined, I hope you were able to help someone else. You are truly a compassionate person. Bless you!

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School is cancelled due to cold temperatures. The students head to the mall. Why can’t they be heading to school? 

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After reading the articles about the Wreaths Around America, I’d really like to get involved in that program and was wondering if there is any information about how to do this or some other ways of serving the veterans in our area. If someone could respond to this column I would really appreciate it.

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I wish the Pennysaver would have at least two people double check the phone messages for this column. Too many times my words are changed and my message makes no sense. Please get what I say right!

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In response, New York State will have legal marijuana when the taxes come down.

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Today, Jan. 9, we celebrate National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. I thank all our great law enforcement officers that protect us every day.

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I have found a lost ferret. Please call 687-0142.

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The Country Lady Beauty Shop in Candor is closed because the lady has retired after 42 years and the shop is for sale.

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I really do read the Pennysaver every single week and I do call in usually every week, but I got the biggest laugh, which is very unusual in this day and age, when that person called back and said maybe that helicopter operator was too scared to fly high and I’m still laughing. I love that remark!

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Sadly we are losing the Kmart in the valley; sad to hear, but I sort of expected it when Walmart moved in. At least three large buildings are sitting empty. I wish The Christmas Tree Store, Weis Markets, Michael’s Craft Store or Home Depot would move in them. It’s easier for us seniors to get to, and something new to shop at, as we can’t get to Vestal or Johnson City. They don’t even have to fix up those stores or replace the buildings. It’s good enough for us seniors and will save money in the end I hope.

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Someone commented last week about the (un)safety of air travel, and I was astounded by the logic and math errors in those comments. This person was comparing the safety of air versus automobile travel, based solely on the numbers of trips completed without incident. This is a completely meaningless metric, since airplanes cover far greater distances per trip. The only valid comparison is to look at the number of accidents per passenger-mile. For commercial airplane travel, the current statistic is 0.2 deaths per 10 billion passenger-miles. For cars, the rate was 150 per 10 billion vehicle-miles. Traveling by automobile is 750 times more dangerous per mile than flying.

National Political Viewpoints

Interesting how Hollywood elites, NFL players, and the media all continue to display disrespect for our country, our President, and our way of life. When did it happen that actors and actresses were endowed with such special knowledge of EVERYTHING, that we should pay any attention to their blatherings what so ever? These spoiled, narcissistic, self-centered people holding forth on things they have no real knowledge of are spoiling things for the majority of the public. We won’t have anything to do with the NFL, Golden Globe awards, or any of it because of the insane need for these egotistical people to curse us with their silly nonsense about things they have no knowledge of.  

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One of the most troubling actions of the Trump administration is its repealing of many regulations. Surely regulations can be cumbersome and may delay growth in the short term, but it is these regulations that have so improved our lives. One has only to look at the thousands of environmental disaster sites blotting the nation to appreciate the need for regulation. Government regulations have brought us safer and more efficient cars, more efficient appliances and much safer air travel. It was the clean air act that began the whole fracking industry. Regulations foster research and innovation which fuels real economic growth. While allowing mine waste to be dumped into the creeks and rivers of West Virginia may be great for the stockholders of Arch Coal Company, is it good for America and, more importantly, our grandchildren?

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“The source told me that the NSA had been wiretapping Americans without search warrants, without court approval. The NSA was also collecting the phone and email records of millions of Americans. The president had authorized the operation. The Bush administration was engaged in a massive domestic spying program that was probably illegal and unconstitutional, and only a handful of carefully selected people in the government knew about it. In hindsight, this was one of the earliest signals that Obama was determined to extend and even expand many of Bush’s national security policies, including a crackdown on whistleblowers and the press. Ignoring the possible consequences to American democracy, the Obama administration began aggressively conducting surveillance of the digital communications of journalists and potential sources, leading to more leak prosecutions than all previous administrations combined.” “My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror” — James Risen. The Intercept.

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The majority of Americans disdain the new tax act. They support Obamacare. They would prefer improved oversight of people who would acquire deadly weaponry. They don’t approve of cutting social security benefits. Most Americans support single-payer health care. We are the current silent majority. We need to be louder. The Republicans are not listening to us. As the woefully mistaken Supreme Court decision called Citizen’s United made inevitable, the only people Republicans hear are the ones writing them big checks. The only immutable belief in the Republican Party is that the Republic will fail if any of them loses his seat.

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“But here’s the thing about the Germans: They knew the energiewende [energy revolution] was never going to be a walk in the forest, and yet they set out on it. What can we learn from them? We can’t transplant their desire to reject nuclear power. We can’t appropriate their experience of two great nation-changing projects – rebuilding their country when it seemed impossible, 70 years ago, and reunifying their country when it seemed forever divided, 25 years ago. But we can be inspired to think that the energiewende might be possible for other countries too. In a recent essay William Nordhaus, a Yale economist who has spent decades studying the problem of addressing climate change, identified what he considers its essence: free riders. Because it’s a global problem, and doing something is costly, every country has an incentive to do nothing and hope that others will act. While most countries have been free riders, Germany has behaved differently: It has ridden out ahead. And in so doing, it has made the journey easier for the rest of us.” From “Germany Could Be a Model for How We Get Power in the Future” by Robert Kunzig. National Geographic. November 2015

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The SS increases are tied to the CPI per a law passed in 1975. The SS increase this year is bigger because the cost of things grew faster than in prior years. So in Trump’s first year things got more expensive faster. Want to rethink those thanks?

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The first time President Obama met with his U.S. Attorneys, he told them, “I appointed you but you don’t serve me. You serve the American people. And I expect you to act with independence and integrity.” The exact opposite of what Donny doll hands expects. No wonder he attacks the FBI and Justice department the way he does. Busting criminals is what they do and being a lying crook is what he is.

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You know I’m not a fan of Donald Trump and I didn’t vote for him, but this is all becoming very sad. It’s all becoming very sad for Donald Trump. The Republican Party should do the right thing and ask him to resign because he’ll be impeached. 

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According to Al Gore, if it is hot it is because of global warming. If it’s freezing it’s global warming. If it’s snowing, it’s global warming. If it’s raining and flooding, it’s global warming. If it’s a drought, it’s global warming. If it’s tornados or hurricanes, it’s global warming. Meanwhile, keep warm and remember – if you made $300 million selling carbon offsets like Al Gore, it’s global warming. 

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Looks to me like we have a lot of very capable and smart Democrats who are going to be vying for the presidential election. I haven’t seen a single Republican that I’m impressed with.

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The Democratic Party knows they are losing control and they are coming apart. All they can do is lash out at the current administration – an administration that has done so much for our country and the American people. Another joke is that Joe Biden thinks he should run in 2020. Doesn’t he realize he’s a big part of the failed Obama eight years? The American people don’t forget.

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Do you every notice how mean and nasty and full of hate the anchormen and women are on Fox & Friends? They are just so bitter and full of hate. No wonder the majority of the people don’t watch them. 

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I agree with last week’s caller that Melania Trump is beautiful and very classy, and it’s about time we had someone like that in the White House. Go Donald Trump!

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To the person who said his president is an idiot, he shouldn’t talk about Barack Obama that way. He was really dumb, yes, but he was born that way so it really isn’t his fault. 

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Obama followed what he called a containment policy against Isis, although that fact is beyond comprehension of his lackeys. It failed miserably, Trump immediately changed Obama’s handcuffing rules of military engagement, as any military scholar will verify, and Isis was decimated quickly in Iraq. Truman, in fact, ended the war in Japan by dropping two atom bombs on Japan and saving about a million American soldiers’ lives. End of story.

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Great job Donald Trump, you stood up to the rocket man in North Korea and Putin of Russia and you gave us pride in America and the Ukraine. The Ivy League boys and girls would have just bribed them with American taxpayer dollars as usual. Obama and Clinton would have bowed down and gave them our cash. Thanks again Donald Trump for being strong for us Americans.

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Can you imagine a grown jerk of a man, Trump, calling himself a very stable genius? He’s so dumb! Talking about a genius, did Jeanine Pirro ever go to jail for driving 119mph in Nichols? Haven’t heard a thing, have you? 

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What’s wrong with the Republican Party? They support pedophiles like Roy Moore and yet they throw war heroes like John McCain under the bus. I’m not a Democrat, I’m not a Republican; I’m a patriotic American. I’m sick of all this sucking up to President Trump. Grow a set. You’ll pay for it dearly for voting for him. 

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Oprah Winfrey was given an award on the Golden Globes so she could give her speech. Her crony friends and leftists planned all this out ahead of time. 

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I agree with last week’s caller, I think we’re all tired of hearing about Clinton and Obama, but the two of them want to remain in the limelight.

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Will someone please update me on the Judge Jeanine crime? It seems to have mysteriously disappeared from the limelight. 

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Finally, and after 25 years, President Trump is speaking to the American farmers. What a remarkable man! He truly is in touch with the hardworking American people. They showed up in droves and they embraced him.

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Our First Lady is also a beautiful woman with class, and is doing admirable work and she’s just getting started. No, she may not be a lawyer, but it’s not a big deal to be a lawyer. After all, Hillary Clinton is one also. You get the point? It seems like our country has too many lawyers. I, too, was raised to be tolerant, intelligent, respectful and without prejudice. Happy trails to you!

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I am a little confused. First President Trump said we should boycott the NFL and the players make too much money, then he turns around and gives them a big tax cut. I also will be getting one, which is true. They make so much more money they will be getting a bigger tax cut, which means they’ll end up making more money.

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I wish someone could tell me what the red, white and blue on the American flag stands for.

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The guys that make the wars should fight the wars.

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So who cares about how Scotland manages its energy? What are we all supposed to take away from all that gibberish?

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I’m a first time voter, my dad is a Republican and my mom is a Democrat. I don’t know which way to vote, but after seeing the Republicans, and I’m emphasizing the politicians not the foolish voters, but the Republican politicians are so pro-Moscow it leaves me no choice, it’s a no brainer. Go Democrats, throw these Republican bums out!

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President Trump, in a fit of insane bipartisanship, said DACA should be a bill of love. Give me a break! We had a bill of love in the White House, his name was Slick Willy.

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There is a country out there, that fought a repressive super-power for its freedom, and won! A lot of blood was spilled, but their freedom was that important. Why don’t people from other corrupt, repressive, countries fight for their freedom too, rather than sneak into our country and steal our hard earned freedom. I’ll tell you why, they are cowards; that’s why! Oh! That country that fought a superpower for their freedom and won, that was us!