Readers’ Column for the week of July 29, 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.

My name is Linda Hammond. I want to thank all of the Apalachin Fire Department for all the times they’ve come to help my husband. When he was so sick they were absolutely wonderful and caring. I want to thank all my family and friends for all the cards and gifts they sent me when Charlies died. You are all wonderful and in my heart forever and I appreciate everything everyone has done – and I know he would have too. Again, thank you so much for the love and concern.

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I heard on the news today where Governor Cuomo is launching a campaign for reconstruction in Puerto Rico. New York is $4.5 billion in debt last time I checked. New York pays his salary; he works for the State of New York and the people of New York. There are plenty of problems here in the State of New York that he is supposed to be taking care of but he tries to take care of Puerto Rico. He is another useless Democrat. He must go!

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I live in Van Etten, Chemung County, and for the past 15 to 18 years we’ve been promised tar oil and black top and we haven’t got it yet. For some reason the highway commissioner always has to be told what to do by the town board. So far we’re still living in dust and nothing’s been happening. They’ve dug the ditches out but now we’re still in dust. They’ve done nothing to the roads for dust control at all. I think it’s time to vote the town board people out and the town supervisor out at the next election.

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The garbage truck that picks up garbage and recycles at the same time has two separate compartments built into the truck.

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I feel real sorry for Terry and Tyler. Every morning I drive over Crandall and those beef cows are in their cornfield. How can that be? It’s just not right.

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The people to my right have two children in school. They have two incomes supporting their household. The people across the street have five children in school. They also have two incomes in their household. At $20,000 a year per student, that is $40,000 per year social services for one family and $100,000 per year for the other. I, on the other hand, have no children and one income in my household. We both are paying the same rate for school tax. You are right when you say school is socialism and this is only one example of how socialism does not work for everyone. Good for them but bad for me as my school tax keeps going up and up. Socialism is bad.  

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I’m calling in regards to the Owego pool. I just can’t believe they let them swim in street clothes, like jeans and a shirt. 

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In response to the distressed caller about foul pig smell in Newark Valley; my first question is, “Do you eat pork?” If so, where do you think it comes from? Farmers have the right to farm! You should be thankful that someone is willing to do all the work that goes into farming! You should be saying thank-you to them!

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When will Claudia Tenney have an open town hall with no screened questions? Why does she avoid her constituents? Who does she represent besides her donors?

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For fellow veterans annoyed about OACSD not providing a veteran exemption, think about it. We have gotten some very nice benefits. How much special treatment should we have? Had there been exemptions for veterans when I was a child, then nearly every father would have had it. Seniors should have an exemption first. If you want to keep some property tax money, then understand how extravagant OACSD is with salaries, fringe benefits, healthcare benefits and pensions. OACSD financial responsibility would save everyone some real money and enhance property values, whereas your exemption just increases the burden for working families and seniors. 

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To the people that have been buying and fixing the dilapidated homes in Newark Valley, thank you! To the people or banks who own some of the homes that are an eyesore, please do something with them – they bring down all property values.

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To the Mayor of Newark Valley – If the ladder factory is under budget, does this mean our taxes that were increased 20 percent will be going down? And just where is the money that is needed to cover the ladder factory foundation coming from, the grant or Newark Valley taxpayers? In the future if you get a grant for whatever, could you please let the village taxpayers know what it is going to cost us! Your (suggestion) about garbage in the newsletter, could you please inform us that when the garbage truck needs to be replaced who is going to foot the bill; all Newark Valley taxpayers or only those who use the service?

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Will people PLEASE stop running red lights before someone gets killed? Are you really so self-centered that you think you can’t be bothered? And where are our police and deputies? Certainly not watching intersections, the sites of a disproportionate number of car crashes.  

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In response to the letter requesting hot spot help for dogs – I would like to suggest CBD oil for pets! CBD oil does wonders for many pet ailments and there are ZERO negative side effects. The only downfall is that it can be pricey. My 13-year-old Labrador has been on organic CBD oil since last October. It has been a miracle for her, primarily with pain and mobility, as she is severely arthritic. CBD helps tremendously with pain and inflammation, seizures, skin conditions, anxiety, cancer symptoms, appetite and so much more. The company I use is called Pet Releaf and they are out of Colorado with an online store. This is certainly not an ad for this particular company, although I have had nothing but positive experiences with them, but it is an ad for the opportunity to finally help the animals we love so much without the harsh side effects of prescription drugs! What a gift!

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“Most classroom structures today do not encourage system literacy. While the world is becoming increasingly more complex, educators can find themselves continuing to fragment knowledge and real world problems through compartmentalized curricula; science is taught in one class, math in another, English in another. Courses in natural science focus on the material world, while courses in the social sciences focus on the social world, and neither class acknowledges the intensive, ongoing ways in which these two worlds influence each other. When we talk to children about issues, such as climate change, terrorism, and water use, we can raise their awareness of the material and social worlds, bringing together insights from history, biology and literature, as well as the daily newspaper.” “Learning to Connect the Dots: Developing Children’s Systems Literacy” by Linda Booth Sweeney.

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I happened to be driving down 38B when the pig manure was being spread. It was a pretty rough experience, even though I am no stranger to natural fertilizer. You have to think of it this way: someone has to pay the price for cheap food. Anyone living next to industrial ag operation or CAFO is going to have some impact on their quality of life. Some farmers manage better than others. If I were a resident being impacted by this operation, I would challenge my property assessment. The grievance day was in May, so if nothing changes keep that in mind for next year.

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The Village of Owego appears to be in self-destruct mode due to mismanagement. The past/current Mayors and Trustees have been using the taxpayers’ as pawns for long enough. It is time that the residents decide for themselves directly to settle this! How would residents go about demanding a referendum to dissolve the Village? Please respond in this column.

National Political Viewpoints

Why is it the guilty people are always the first to point fingers? John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Barack Obama; and if it hadn’t been for President Obama, our country would have never been in the state that it is in. I’ve never seen America look greater than it has in the last almost two years. 

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Week after week, all you Democrats do is call in and spew your hatred for our president, Donald Trump. You call him names, you insult anyone who supports him, and you say we have low intelligence. Just what is it you are so afraid of. Is it that you might lose all your free stuff? Putting up signs in front of your houses with rude language, putting our president down does nothing but make you look like immature fools. Keep up the good job Mr. Trump.

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What a hoot! So Democrats are more intelligent than Republicans. Let’s see, you spend millions more on an election, pick a loser, subvert dumb Bernie and try to do the same to Donald Trump and lose big time in the end. Sounds pretty idiotic to me! And be prepared for losing in 2020 again like spoiled brats, and run buffoons like the down state socialist who says the economy is bad because people have to work two or three jobs. I guess she doesn’t realize now that there are a ton of jobs waiting for workers. In the end, stop acting like handout crybabies. 

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Newsflash! President Trump recently declassified many DOJ documents and then Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch accessed these documents. Four hundred pages of FISA documents show the FISA warrants to spy on the Trump campaign were based on the fake and unverified steel dossier proving the Obama FBI and other government agencies were trying to spy on and sink the Trump campaign. Go Trump, and drain the swamp of all Obama leftover puppets.

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The nerve of that Melania Trump and the words of her famous jacket, “I don’t care, do you?” I would have put on the jacket “I love all kids, do you?” People who love Trump say go Trump, go. Yea, get lost, goodbye already.

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I just heard some of Cuomo’s comments on Brett Kavanaugh and his reasons why he shouldn’t be nominated for the Supreme Court. What’s amazing to me is Cuomo just doesn’t understand the constitution and the constitutional right of the 2nd Amendment. I believe he really cares more about illegal immigrants and Puerto Rico than he does about New York State and New York State residents. Cuomo has got to go and if all the sportsmen and hunters get together and we vote the same way for the constitution, the 2nd Amendment rights of all sportsmen, we can get rid of him and then he can set his sights on the White House, because that’s all he cares about. He thinks he may be the next president of the United States, which I highly doubt, but I think that’s good; let him focus on that. We just need to vote him out. Get him out of here! God bless America.

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Maybe if Trump didn’t lie 3,500 times within the last 18 months more people would believe him. He will go down in history as the worst president ever! Be proud Republicans. Keep watching Fox fools network and be misinformed.

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I’d like to say, after Trump does his next four years, I hope Ted Nugent becomes our next president. Go Nug.

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I see where our president, Mr. Trump, is trying to get us in a war again. That’s all we need. But you don’t think he’ll be leading the way do you? Because I know he’s a coward. I was there and did my share. If he doesn’t maybe his buddy Putin will give him a shove to get him started.

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Evidently they are going to let that lunatic Donald Trump, and he is a lunatic, stay in office until we’re in another war. You wait and see.

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Who is Trump going to call war on next, Scotland? Because they won’t play on his money laundering golf course?

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I agree with last week’s caller, Obama did look the other way about everything. He always took the easy way out and there was never any leadership; and the mainstream media is playing a losing game when they don’t report the facts, just like the Democrats. Fortunately though, more and more people are realizing this and they just tune them out. Go Trump!

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Is there any doubt left that Trump is completely in the tank for Putin and Russia? He is backed by the spineless Republicans in congress who are backed by the spineless Republicans at home. Reed and Tenney would rather do Russia’s bidding by backing Trump than performing any meaningful oversight. Trump goes to Helsinki not to have a summit, but to get new orders. There is no transcript; just what Putin tells us what was said. Our own military and State Department has no idea what he agreed to. Furthermore, Trump Insults our allies and tries to wreck NATO. The White House even tried to scrub the record of the following combined press conference. Both the written transcript and video erased the question to Putin. Did you support Trump in 2016? Did you try to help him? Putin’s answers are yes and yes. The Russians have erased that from their own news agencies. Luckily someone was paying attention to that and reported it. Remember when Russians were the bad guys? I do.

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Trump’s election reminds me of the New York Jets’ victory over the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl. Quarterback Joe Namath, like Trump, did not follow normal quarterback procedures. The result was an unexpected Baltimore loss. Unlike our Democrats who live in a glass house and continue to throw stones at the victor, Baltimore accepted the loss and in American style went on with a normal life. P.S., their glass house is transparent so their un-American actions are obvious. Wish they would grow up and be an example to citizens who are hoping for a better life, not one dodging selfish errant stones. 

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Now we’re all impressed Donald Trump learned about double negatives in English class; I wonder if he ever picked up a history book about Russia.   

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The Pennysaver will need to increase its size with the political comments, especially at Mr. Trump’s pace.

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For the first time since Trump took office he did something smart, and now he is being attacked by every war monger in the U.S. They’re afraid the military industry in their states won’t have anything to do if we don’t need more weapons. Peace with Russia is a good thing. Also about Ukraine, we supported the group that carried out the coup in 2014 via our propaganda budget, and now we have re-armed them and given them another $200 million to continue the war we are blaming Russia for; I would prefer my tax dollars be spent in the U.S. on social issues like healthcare, social security and education.

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How many people are trying to sneak into a socialist country? One or two? And how many are trying to sneak in to a capitalist country (the United States of America)? One hundred million (better system). 

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The fact that you Trump supporters are not disturbed by this president being in bed with the Russians and his daughter vacationing with Putin’s daughter is unbelievable. What will it take for you all to wake up? The fact that he’s cutting Social Security, Medicare, Vet benefits should rile all of you. He’s spending millions on a stupid parade to satisfy his ego, spends every weekend playing golf and yet, you follow him like sheep. SHAME SHAME SHAME!

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What am I missing here? Since when do Americans want something for nothing? Where’s the PRIDE in accomplishing worthwhile goals for yourself instead of doing the hand-out thing? The gibberish that Bernie Sanders and company are pushing is preposterous! Where do they think the money comes from to finance everything free for everyone? Margaret Thatcher had it right when she said, “The trouble with socialism is that sooner or later, you run out of other people’s money.”

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There is only one way to make America great again. DUMP FRUMPY TRUMP!

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What happened to Democrats? I was ten when President Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Today the Dem mantra is “How much can my country do for me?” LBJ initiated the Great Society Program and spent trillions to create a permanent more free stuff constituency. In the 50 years since 1968 all boats have risen. We have successfully moved mountains to ensure equality of opportunity. Today there are more job opportunities than people to fill them. Is it that life has gotten worse or do Dems just want more free stuff?

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The last year of the Obama Administration, 19,000 manufacturing jobs hemorrhaged. The first year of the Trump Administration 196,000 jobs were added. Employers have added an average of 207,000 jobs per month so far in 2018. Because of Trump’s job creation, TrumpCare is replacing ObamaCare. Because employers are straining to keep and acquire qualified workers they are offering more and enhanced healthcare benefits, TrumpCare. Employers are also enhancing 401(K)s. Hopefully the Dems won’t flood the country with more illegal aliens and deprive the most needy Americans of these benefits.

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Trump has spent 123 days golfing at a taxpayer cost of $72,81 857.00 and still has not visited troops in any war zone. Let that sink in.

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Where did the old Whoopie Goldberg go? I used to like to watch her in movies such as “Ghost”, Sister Act movies and Jumping Jack Flash, and she was funny with Robin Williams and Billy Crystal when they did the comic relief shows. They were talking about Planned Parenthood one day on The View and she he President needs to stay out of her lower body parts. She said it more vulgar. On Wednesday’s show they invited Judge Jeanine on to promote her new book, and Whoopie was really rude and nasty and wouldn’t let Jeanine talk; then Whoopie kicked Jeanine off the show. Well that wasn’t good enough for Whoopie, she was waiting at the bottom of the steps for Jeanine (which was the only way to get out of the building), and Jeanine said, ”Whoopie, I thought we were friends.” Whoopie said get the [expetive removed] out twice to Jeanine. I stopped watching The View shortly after Barbara Walters got off because it became so political and only one viewpoint was allowed – and that is the democratic way. Then Joy Behar saying that Mike Pence must have a mental problem because he hears voices from God, and she mocked Christians. Then Oprah the next day was asked if she was running for President and she said she didn’t hear anything from God; but The View didn’t mock Oprah.