Readers’ Column for the week of May 6, 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.

I was wondering if any of your readers would have a telescope for sale at a reasonable price. If you do, would you please leave your number in this column and I will get back to you. 

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While watching the news this week I was pleased to see our newly elected official, Charles Plater, was trying to speak out on behalf of Owego, however painting our small town as nothing but a drug infested community was totally inappropriate. Tioga County, as a whole, as well as our state and our nation has an epidemic crisis and yet Owego was made to look as if it’s a village of drug dealers. He did not even have an active plan making the news report worthy of what steps come next except that it was his personal mission to reach out to people. That’s great with intent, but unless you have an action plan that means nothing. We certainly aren’t going to lead the way in what is a nation wide epidemic that even our administration is not doing anything currently about that is working, so I don’t see how Owego with no action plan will do that. As much as I respect his willingness to reach out to the community and put a plan into action, that news report was totally inappropriate.

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Free egg cartons in Newark Valley. Call this column and leave your number. 

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To the person who wants to buy rhubarb this year, in Tioga Center on the right hand side coming from Owego, there is a farmer who sells it every year and he’s reasonable. If you’ve got a chance to go out that way, he’s got a sign out, “rhubarb for sale.”

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I got a charge out of the caller who called in referring to even numbered houses usually on the right hand of the street and the left. Either side can be left or right. From which direction are you coming? North, east, south, west? What a confusing comment.

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The VFW Golf Tournament is May 20; pick up an application at the Post or see our ad in this week’s Pennysaver. 

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This is to the voters of Candor. Our town is not a very rich town, so why do we allow our school taxes to keep rising up and up every year, which means our taxes go up and up every year. I realize the state pays much of it, but the state gets its money from the taxpayer, that’s us! The 2018-2019 budget calls for a raise of $113,500 in salaries, in which the teachers and employees are already making $7.3 million every year. They also want to raise the fringe benefits, whatever that is, up to $188,000, which is already $4.5 million. Can we really afford to pay them fringe benefits? All I can say is that if we don’t get out and vote NO, then the budget will just keep going up which means our taxes as well. Vote NO May 15 if you don’t want to see it keep on happening. 

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The last mayor lost by just a few votes. Those votes were from us landlords and business people in the village because of the promises to fix the unfair sewer billing system that were never followed through. There was a lot of talk but no resolution. Hopefully the new mayor is wise enough to have observed that and take quick action on this unfair system. Dear new Mayor, and village officials, it is not rocket science. A simple billing of 1/5 EDU for each apartment within a multi unit setting, and 1/5 EDU for each business that has a non public restroom would be a quick, simple, fair solution.

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Can anyone say for sure when the Mobil on Southside Drive in Owego closed?

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In response to the comment about the Town of Spencer and junk cars and its appearance. Third world nation, really? Did you mean Van Etten? No doubt, there are some places in Spencer that could be cleaned up, but “third world nation”? No, that’s just wrong. What trailer parks are you talking about? You’re confusing Spencer for Van Etten, most certainly. Just take a drive through both and it’s clear, Van Etten is awful. No one knows how to contact the new code guy? Go to the town hall or call 589-4435. Van Etten is a mess. I wouldn’t say it looks like a third world nation, exactly. The trailer park you’re referring to is in the Town of Van Etten on Wyncoop Creek, just off the intersection with Rt. 224. It’s the first thing you see when you drive from the west. The owner of that property should be totally embarrassed. I also hear the new Van Etten code guy has worked in this capacity in other towns, and like the slumlord, he’s also a local guy. From what I’m told, it’s been in this condition for years. What a disappointingly low standard of living to accept for everyone. Your tax dollars at work.

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Thank you to whoever cleaned up litter on Davis Hill Road on Saturday, April 21. We appreciate your effort – it looks much better. 

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Northwest is refusing to let Spectrum carry their channels. If you have a problem call Northwest.

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I can’t explain the particular anomaly a recent contributor described, but house numbers are usually based on whether the side is south/north or east/west. Right/left changes depending on which direction one is traveling.

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Some facts and a personal observation about the New York State Lottery system. According to the Lottery Commission, New York State collected 9.68 BILLION dollars in lottery sales for the 2016-2017 fiscal year ending March 31, 2017.  We’re not talking about “crumbs” or chicken feed here; we’re talking about a really serious amount of money. When you consider the New York State population in 2017 was 19.8 million, this represents an annual average of $490 spent by every man, women and child on lottery tickets. That’s truly astonishing! Many individuals frequently spend $200-$300 every month on lottery tickets. (That’s $2,400 to $3,600 a year). Just imagine if that money was set aside and saved, how much more beneficial it would be to the individual. The really unfortunate part is many of the individuals buying lottery tickets are the least able to afford them and end up relying on government assistance in their later years. Perhaps I shouldn’t be too critical since I rarely play the lottery and am therefore able to take full advantage of the $3.27 billion distributed by the lottery system to school districts across the state, of which $3.42 million goes to the Owego-Apalachin School District.

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Had occasion to travel down Route 434 on Saturday, April 28 and noticed multiple people picking up trash. Asked what group was in charge and discovered it was the Apalachin Lions, assisted by volunteers and Boy Scouts. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all involved as it makes a difference in our community.

National Political Viewpoints

Never in my 61 years did I ever dream I would hear a president attacking our Department of Justice and FBI like our so-called make believe president is doing. This is an embarrassment to be an American; people should be outraged and call for his resignation. It’s just unbelievable! Our forefathers would roll over in their graves if they knew what was going on; but then again, the reason he’s attacking, it’s an orchestrated plan by the Republican Party to discredit the FBI and the Justice Department because they know he is up to his elbows in dirt. He’s corrupt, he’s crooked and he’s hooked up with the Russians and the Russian mob, and you people wait and see what happens because it’s all going to come out. Wake up America, before it’s too late.

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I don’t now how many of you women out there and men, mind you, men, are going to take the same abuse and be punished for it like Joe Paterno and Bill Cosby. Where, in God’s name, did these men find time to do all the things that these women, they call themselves women, have accused him of doing. Look how they show themselves off, they put themselves in their own positions, and yes I realize a jury did find him guilty, but no way in God’s name did that man have all that time to play with all these stupid women who are out for show and tell. Look at the way they dress, the way they carry themselves and most of all, the way they put themselves in a position to tempt a man who had no way in hell had the time to do all those things these silly, silly women have said he did and people had the nerve to accept and convict that man. There’s no way in Hell! I want you to print this if you dare. 

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The Russian dossier would never have been if it wasn’t for the sucker who gave it to the FBI, and that sucker was the great war hero, John McCain. What a smart guy, he thought he was going to be a hero once again if he could have made Trump look bad and get kicked out of office. 

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Even the dumb founded Democrats are getting prepared for Donald Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding presidential work in bringing North Korea to the denuclearization table. Trump has done more for the U.S. and hard working Americans than any president in modern History. You can, once more, be proud to be an American. Go Trump!

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I recall that there were many, especially those in Hollywood, who had promised to leave our country if President Trump was elected. Does anyone know if they’ve left yet?

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Thank God for the Internet and twitter. It’s showing the world what a moron we have for a president.

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One good reason why so many voted for Trump, the answer is he isn’t Hillary. There are still questions about her professional conduct while with the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas. She did not do much for the average person as a carpet bagging New York Senator. She was a disgraceful First Lady, too ignorant to notice what was going on right under her nose and then was a poor role model for her daughter. Of course at that time she was busy figuring out what furnishings to steal from the White House. She made a fool of herself and our country with her stupid reset button, ignoring pleas for help, which resulted in unnecessary American deaths in Benghazi, was either extremely ignorant of technology or out and out blatantly criminal in the deletion of thousands of emails, which should have been kept as government records. Next time put up a worthy candidate. I guess no one is squeaky clean, but surely it can’t be hard to find one more upstanding. 

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There was a book published several years ago called “The Truth About Hillary”. That book, which I read, really shows the sort of person that she is.

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It most certainly is unfortunate that some people do not understand the election process. So let me understand this. According to a comment in this column, our Founding Fathers realized a popular vote ruled the state of New York and California would select our president each time. New York existed as a colony and California didn’t even exist at all the time our Founding Fathers were on earth. So how could New York and California select our president when California was nothing more than an explorer’s dream. Please read up on your history. It will explain it all to you.

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Isn’t that too bad that some Republicans had to leave the White House Correspondence dinner because they were offended. Good! Trump offends every day and every hour he talks and hurts so many people. I cringe every time Trump is on the TV when he shows no respect. So, good for the Republicans, they can’t take it. If Trump showed respect he’d get respect back. He’s not too smart.

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Boy, it scares me to think that idiot is going to meet rocket man. If he doesn’t get his way, he’ll probably have a fit and just walk out! That’s what those rich guys do. It’s got to be their way or the highway.

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In response, very rarely does a sitting president attend a funeral of a former First Lady. Obama did not attend Nancy Reagan’s and I believe President Trump stayed back to work on the country’s problems left by the former administration. Please get your facts straight before calling into this column.

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It sounds like those people who allow their dogs to run around free follow the Clinton’s as they are above the law. Unfortunately it’s only a matter of time that someone will be hurt by these roaming dogs. Then, after being served with a lawsuit, will these people realize that there are leash laws for a reason?

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In response to the woman who bashed President Trump for not attending Barbara Bush’s funeral, she should have done her homework. President Trump was asked by the Bush’s not to attend although Ivanka did. Originally in the pictures it showed her sitting with the Bush’s and the Obama’s at Barbara’s funeral and then she disappeared, got cropped or dropped from the picture. This bantering and this dissidence are just unnecessary. We are living in an ungodly world, we abuse our free will and you know the old adage, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Which way do you think we are headed?

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I think President is going to go down in history as the worst president we’ve ever had, and I’ve seen quite a few of them. He isn’t that smart and he can’t open his mouth without lying. It’s going to be interesting when he goes to that meeting with rocket man. 

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Hey you guys, I’m not illiterate, I just missed a fact and I don’t want anyone to tell me who doesn’t really and truly know positively the answer. What happened to Trump’s mother? Why was it only so noted that his father gave him a million dollars to hit the road? It makes me wonder, as a mother of so many kids, what relationships he’s really had with women and why he had to find it necessary to marry so many times and have so many women. Is that asking too much? Please, just write back, nicely please and tell me what happened to his mother. I would appreciate it so much!

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Years ago TV personality Merv Griffin, negotiating with Donald Trump, appealed to his vanity and bested him in a real estate deal. Merv got richer and Trump went bankrupt. I am afraid this could happen with the Korean summit. Trump is facing a very smart and cunning opponent who is well aware of the president’s fragile ego and desire to look like a winner. I feel Kim could play Donald like a fiddle.

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At this past White House Correspondent’s Dinner the liberal media truly displayed its place in the gutter. Michelle Wolf could not have been more vulgar, bias, tasteless, nasty, and absent of all grace, eloquence and humor. This foul-mouthed loser truly epitomizes the liberal media. Poor Bob Hope and et al. must have been nauseous in the grave. How can anyone trust these toads to croak out any news? Trump was right to speak separately of what is good in America rather than lend any credence to their vile ruse at humor.

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I read with great amusement the response regarding why anyone would support Donald Trump. What the writer doesn’t get or refuses to admit is their explanation cuts both ways, just substitute a D for the R. I know and work with many democrats who look only to see if there’s a D or an R after the candidate’s name.  In fact, many democrats would vote for Satan if he or she were a democrat, or worse as was proven in 2016, Hillary Clinton. 

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What with developments that seem to be happening between the U.S. and North Korea, there’s thought that President Donald Trump would be eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize. Oh, wait, isn’t that the one “president” Barack Hussein Obama got for accomplishing absolutely NOTHING?

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A very simple explanation on why anyone would vote for Donald Trump. The other choice was Hillary Clinton.

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Methinks Trump was not invited to Barbara’s funeral.

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Bill Clinton was impeached but not convicted for lying to a grand jury. There were no criminal charges ever filed. Bill Cosby was convicted of criminal charges. Any more questions on the difference and subsequent result?

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I guess there’s a reader out there that thinks voters in New York or California shouldn’t have their vote count as much as a voter in perhaps Kansas or Montana. So let’s extend it a bit and have Democrat votes count as 1.5 votes and Republican votes as 1. Just as fair isn’t it?

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I did read up on history. Romney did NOT win the popular vote.

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For last week’s expert on “classified” materials, you don’t know what you are talking about, with mean spirit denigrate the military and civil servants, and present a fallacious argument. Correct, much more than secret weapons are classified for good reason. Material, which to the layman appears as unclassified, may reveal classified information when viewed in combination with other documents and/or open source information. Speaking from experience, documents containing classified information can and are innocently created by their authors. This is why every communication/email created by Hillary in her capacity as Secretary of State is by definition classified.  Ordering of toilet paper can reveal classified and damaging information! This is why Hillary and facilitators should be imprisoned for high crimes and treason. In regards to abuses of authority, name one not abused by the Feds. Obama purchased 1.6 billion (five for every man, woman and child) rounds of ammunition for DHS’s 259,091 guns.

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That’s cute, Mr. Trump brings in Mr. Giuliano for assistance and he gets on Fox news and contradicts what Mr. Trump says. They can’t get their lies straight. The more he tweets and listens to Fox news, the deeper hole he digs.

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Coldest April on record. Let me guess, somehow this is caused by Global Warming, right? Yeah, really.