Readers’ Column for the week of December 23

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.

Does the 64 percent pay raise come with a 64 percent increase in responsibility? Twelve hours set aside for test participation, ELA, Math, Science 3+8. The Governor could lead the way. Re-visit your childhood. Enjoy the fruits of our labor. Decisions based on experience. 235 – your choice.
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I am hoping that the person responsible for throwing two dogs out of their truck is caught and given the toughest sentence possible. No one with any conscience or any heart would do something as sick as that. Whoever did this is in need of help before they start abusing humans.
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I want to thank all the people who work at the Candor food pantry for all the time they give every Wednesday, also probably Tuesday to help people get the food and nutrition they need. They give of their time, they are there all day and they’re pleasant and helpful. It’s a wonderful service and I can’t imagine how they commit every single Wednesday to doing this. It’s wonderful of them to give their time not only with the holidays, but all year long whether it’s hot or cold. Thank you all so much for doing that!
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I would like to thank the people who recently transported me back and forth from different appointments that I had set up. I would like to say thank you to the people who I consider my friends. I don’t need to give the names, all I need to do is remember at this time of season that the good feelings and love that people have for each other is astounding. It’s wonderful to have feelings like that reinforced.
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Dancing with the Stars at Tioga Downs was a great show. Owego’s own Joe Yaman, Sr. and his partner put on a magnificent performance. Joe is a great dancer and he thrilled the crowd. I heard a couple of spectators say Joe Sr. should maybe turn professional.
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I love your column. I just happened to see it when my daughter dropped off the Pennysaver. To the guy that was 82 and remembers all those games and stuff like that. I’m only 76 but I remember some too. Duck, duck goose; dominoes, ping-pong, checkers, skipping rope, hopscotch, pom pom pull away, roller skating, homemade stilts to be on if our father would make them for us, button button who has the button, and of course spin the bottle, cat in the cradle, tiddlywinks, finger painting, and we did puzzles, we cut up newspapers and put them back together and we used to draw too. I think your paper is wonderful. There are so many good ideas and peoples thoughts in here. Thanks an awful lot.
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If anybody loves to see the Christmas lights they should come to East Berkshire. The whole community is lit.
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Shame on the Mayor of Candor. I was home in July, took a walk on the parade route and saw several homes in the village with stuff, and junk everywhere. Came back for Thanksgiving, same thing. These people next door must deal with a lot of rats and the mayor allows this to go on. Some people just need to take pride in their property and clean things up.
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I have lived in the historical zone in the Village of Owego for over 50 years and I think they’ve just gone too far with this proposed new law. It’s ridiculous; and another thing, the new committee for the $10 million is talking about making Owego a walking destination. I’ve gotten to the point in age where I can’t walk, so you are shutting me out there. You’re shutting me out whether I can have a patio or a drainpipe, or something in my backyard. I really don’t have very many rights left anymore. What a place to be. Goodbye home values. Expect housing to go down in value on the west end of Front Street. Houses have been for sale for five, six, and seven years as it is and I think we are going completely in the wrong direction.
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How convenient the “Johnny come lately law” known as the proposed historic law pubic hearing is right before Christmastime when many of us are unable to get out to that meeting. It just amazes me how many people who are involved in the “Johnny come lately law” have been village residents for less than two years. Same way with the DRI committee. There are over half on that committee that are non-taxpayers and three quarters of that committee, people don’t even live in the village of Owego. Again, the “Johnny come lately” come in and want to change all sorts of things.
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If someone knows if last week’s reader, when he said the words “wood monkey” would please put in this column so I can understand it. I’ve never heard of the words wood monkey.
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It’s all up to God.
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A great big huge thank you to the Newark Valley Fire Department and auxiliary members for the great job last Saturday. First starting the day off with breakfast with Santa and concluded the day going out Christmas caroling throughout the Village of Newark Valley. You guys have a lot to be proud of, each and everyone. That was great you got Santa in town. Great job you guys. Keep up the great work!
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This is for the person who is looking for an Avon rep. Call 687-1991.
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I’d just like to thank the Tioga County Boys & Girls Club on maintaining their vision. It’s seems good that the kids can go to the club and shoot hoops, have a pick up basketball game and do what they want to do down there without having to be a member of one of those high ticket costly leagues that people seem to join anymore. It’s nice to know that our Boys & Girls Club is still what it is intended to be from way back when.
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Is it true that an Owego town board member and her husband, a county legislator, don’t even live in New York State?
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Enough about Trump people, let’s start talking about local government. Don’t turn a blind eye to the millions of dollars being proposed here at home. The Town of Owego Superintendent has his own agenda, which now is going full steam ahead while all but the terrace crumbles. Because of his apparent animosity with the Highway Superintendent, he branded Mr. Clark a liar at the last board meeting and bashed his letter to the editor. Carol Sweeney presented fact after fact of major inflations but instead of explaining any of these in the end “you did the same thing Carol.” The engineer was the one who presented facts because Mr. Castellucci didn’t know most of them, just sticking by his $9.4 million first phase, which is a shell people, not the finished project. Don’t be fooled, you’re still looking at upwards of $13 to $14 million bill voted on by three. Yes, count them, three people. This should have been voted on by the public, your constituents; but Castellucci wouldn’t let that happen because he knows then this legacy would not have happened. Take care of what’s home first.
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Do not bash our OACSD Superintendent, Mr. Corey Greene, as regards financial mismanagement. Your issue is with the Board of Education. Mr. Greene is a vast improvement, highly capable, and fully motivated to act on students and taxpayer’s behalf. The football field is trivial in light the District’s annual waste, fraud, and abuse. The compensation package provided OACSD teachers is beyond reason and has been so for at least a decade. This bloat has been and shall remain detrimental to students and taxpayers for decades to come. Because NYS educational funding does not pay for wasteful spending you pay 100 percent of it. In 2014 the NYS Comptroller’s Office told OACSD to fix their budgeting process. Nothing changed. In 2016 the BOE removed from their Goals and Objectives all their fiduciary duties relating to financial stewardship and transparency. Thus the message to District management, don’t go there. In 2014 and 2018 the BOE president stated that the reason OACSD salaries were so high is due to their higher contribution to healthcare coverage. Nothing changed and this was and remains false. Zero percent of your property tax increases are for “the children.” As with 2018, should you wish to attend budget meetings you will have to make special effort as the BOE does not always provide notice or operate in accordance with NYS Open Meetings Law. Factual documentation of persistent waste, fraud, and abuse is available from the NYS Comp., NYS ED, and OACSD public records. 
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No doubt there are an increasing number of pollutants, especially from plastic, due to the ever-increasing population of the earth and countries who are “advancing”. However, there have been numerous articles recently regarding the fact that there is no longer a strong market for recyclable materials; it is costing facilities in this country so much now, that they end up operating at a loss. The cost of processing these materials for reuse is also too high to make it worthwhile. More and more “recyclable” materials are ending right back in a landfill. Additionally, there are huge areas of the globe (New York City is one) where no recycling is practiced to this day. May I suggest ways that may cut down on this problem: go back to using paper bags, straws, etc. Maybe some farmers who do not have a strong market for their current product could begin turning their fields over to rapid growth trees; trees are a “crop” and a renewable resource. Go back to glass, reusable bottles for soda, milk, juice, etc. Those products taste better in glass anyway, and once again having local bottling plants may bring back jobs. Outlaw water bottles! Humans for centuries survived without sucking on a plastic water bottle. It was a miracle for many, years ago to have water coming from a faucet right in your home, office, business, or school. If you must tote it around with you all day, get a reusable bottle. I find I am quite disgusted to see even high powered politicians in DC sitting around with crappy plastic bottles when our European counterparts have crystal pitchers and glasses. Last best thing – the world in general needs to realize (once again) that the earth is limited as far as resources, and perhaps all nations should start encouraging family planning.
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I am looking for someone who can work on an old 3 slot, coin operated phone. Please call 648-9858 and ask for Tom or Debbie if you can work on them or know someone that can.
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To the person asking about the Mars Insight Lander: 1. Mars is usually much farther away than 35 million miles away, but more importantly 2. The Lander uses much less fuel if it follows a curved path toward Mars, using the sun’s gravity to pull it in. But this means a longer path than if it traveled in a straight line.
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There was a question in the Pennysaver about mileage traveled by the Insight probe to Mars. The most efficient transfer orbit for a probe going from Earth to Mars is one that touches Earth’s orbit at departure and just touches Mars’ orbit at arrival, and is called a Hohmann Transfer Orbit. A more direct flight would take a much more powerful launch vehicle. These points are 180 degrees apart for perfectly circular planetary orbits. Earth’s orbit is elliptical at 91.4 million miles by 94.5 million miles and Mars’s orbit is elliptical at 128.4 million miles by 154.8 million miles. So the best Hohmann Transfer orbit this time, for this planetary configuration, was one that took 205 days to travel about 155 degrees around the Sun. That distance was about 300 million miles. It is interesting to note that it was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on an Atlas Centaur, and not from Florida like all previous lunar and planetary missions. This took it nearly due south into a near polar Earth orbit. Once over the North Pole, when its velocity vector was parallel to Earth’s velocity vector, the Centaur was fired to send Insight on its way for a cruise to Mars. Vandenberg was chosen because of the heavy schedule for Atlas launches from the Cape and because it had more available time to accommodate InSight’s five-week launch period window.

National Political Viewpoints

Illegal aliens cost taxpayers $18.5 billion per year. Trump wants $5 billion for a wall. The dumb duo, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, don’t care about enforcing border laws. Guess why they don’t care.
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Can you say President Pence? I knew you could.
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Such distain and hatred for one another and our president is what I keep reading in this column. You are all watching the end of America.
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Trump is now up to 6,420 lies since he took office. What do psychiatrists think about his constant lies? It has to be a mental thing. It’s sick and he is not a child. What do all of our wonderful veterans think of all the lies he tells? Everyone is leaving the White House except Trump. His family should leave. They do not set a good example and their values are not good for us. They think they can get away with everything.
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My goodness its Christmas time and we can still find something to complain about. If Cohen is a serial liar, what is Trump? I’ve got to know. Have a wonderful New Year and thank you so much for being so kind to me.
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What in the hell is wrong with America and Mexico? When you get to the point where you have to put numbers on children’s arms, Trump reminds me of Adolph Hitler in so many ways, and you folks keep following him like the German people did in the 30’s in so many ways. You guys’ better kick this idiot out or we’re all going down. All of us. They’re not going to put a damn mark on me.
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I notice we don’t hear our Russian President Donald Trump crowing about the stock market. What’s wrong? Where’s this great economy he promised us with this huge tax cut? Just like everything he touches, he ruins everything he touches. By the way, how can you Republicans still support this crook?
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Okay Trump, build that wall. Tell Mexico to get going! You said Mexico would build that wall. You even campaigned on it. The American people believed in you. They believed in your B.S., so build that wall now!
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Have you made out your Christmas list? If you don’t, you’re running late! Trump is still trying to get his done you know, with your money, and he wants you to pay for that wall. That’s it in black and white. But, remember Mexico was going to pay for that wall! The seven year old is stomping his feet again. Come on you guys, all we want for Christmas is what we earned, our freedom. And now we have a stupid tyrant. Put his diaper on him and put him back in the crib. Come on; get with the program, its Christmas. Have a wonderful holiday!
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I am so glad this joker of a president we have has joined the Republican Party instead of the Democrats. The Republicans deserve it. You reap what you sow. Go Democrat if you want to live like a king. If you vote Republican you’ll be a servant.
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Hillary is still being investigated in congress, and who could forget the folly of Benghazi investigation. The Republican trumpsters are the most ill informed non-voters in the world. Wake up! The orange aberration is under 17 investigations. His foundation in New York is being closed for fraud. His charity is being closed for another purpose, fraud. The guy is a freaking fraud plus a draft dodger. He is capable of treason. Wake up trumpsters!
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So I have a question for any Democrat out there. Would you please tell me why the Democrats don’t want to support a border wall to protect the American citizens? Please answer in this column because I just cannot figure this one out.
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Hurray, hurray, the walls are coming down around dumb Donald Trump and his crooked administration. The man’s a fool but he’s a dangerous fool. Let’s be glad we’re getting rid of him.
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If you think Donald Trump doesn’t escalate to hatred and bigotry and prejudice in this country, you need to evaluate your own values because he most certainly does. Things aren’t getting better, they’re getting worse.
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If we do not advocate a love of country to our children and the generations to come, then why would our children grow up to fight for our country’s founding principles and moral truth? Melania Trump.
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How do you make a liberal’s head explode? Say, “Trump wishes you a very Merry Christmas.”
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if some quirk of fate created an investigation of everything Clinton as is being done with President Trump? I mean an investigation with the same enthusiasm, determination and drive to find SOMETHING, ANYTHING, wrong having to do with the Clintons? Take the Clinton Foundation, for example. Ninety-three percent of the funds going to the Clinton Foundation go for “administrative costs”, translated, that means into the pockets of the Clintons – Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea!
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Looks like we have found out who the “real” crook is. Stealing from a charitable foundation, even your own, is a crime. Should we start yelling, “Lock him up?”
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Ya gotta love it. Schumer and Pelosi, who have a protection detail and live where “immigrants” aren’t welcome, are all about not allowing the construction of a wall. The PEOPLE who voted for President Trump are FOR the construction of a wall to keep out drugs, crime and undesirables. Why is that so hard to understand? I don’t know about you, but I’m not in favor of paying any part of the $135.6 billion it costs to support the 21.1 million illegal aliens we already have, let alone more. And for those who think the “immigrants” pay their way with taxes, so far that amounts to just $19 million. Big difference!
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President Trump was right! Why are we subsidizing Amazon? New York State is giving over one billion dollars in grants and tax breaks for their new Long Island headquarters, why? We are already subsidizing Amazon on their USPS shipping. They recently advertised 4 pounds of sugar for $3.98, SHIPPED FREE! You try to do that! I calculated just the shipping on a 4-pound package shipped WITHIN my Zip Code and the minimum cost was $7.10! I received a package from China, for a leather phone wallet. The cost was $2.99, shipping included! AND, I had to sign for it! I couldn’t mail that package within my Zip Code for $2.99; it would cost me $6.70. So the Post Office is subsidizing China too! Maybe the Post Office wouldn’t be losing taxpayer money all the time if it charged a fair fee for its service to businesses. And it would be nice if a citizen didn’t have to pay the ridiculous high price they charge for personal shipments!    
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So Judge Barbara Underwood is going to hold Mr. Trump accountable for using his Trump Charity foundation as his personnel piggy bank. Funding his son’s private school and boy scouts? How low. And he thinks Cohen is a rat?
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What a breathe of fresh air to hear Judge E. Sullivan give Michael Flynn a tongue thrashing. He pointed to the American flag and announced how he disgraced the country, sold his soul. And yet Mr. Trump wished him luck even though Flynn pleaded guilty. 
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It’s about time the Russian dossier information is coming out that it had nothing to do with the Trump organization and everything to do with Hillary and her cohorts. Just to make sure Trump didn’t become president and when he did this was their insurance policy to discredit him. But it seems it is backfiring on them. Hillary’s pals paid for the dossier. When this didn’t work they decided to do anything they could just to discredit Trump and his Presidency. They tried the porn star bit, which was consensual when it happened 10 years ago and before he even was considering a run for the Presidency. Then they tried the Kavanaugh thing which to make false charges of rape against an innocent man and to try to ruin his reputation is so sick. Now Mueller’s investigation into Flynn putting the pressure on him to say he lied about Russia and they were sneaky and told him he didn’t need a lawyer present, they just wanted to talk to him. Now today they tried to hide a 302 document and the judge said I want the 302 pages turned over by Friday. Well they only just turned it over today and heavily redacted. Makes you wonder what Mueller and his cohorts are hiding. By the way, to the person who wrote in two weeks ago saying that anyone who voted for President Trump must be of “Very low intelligence or just a joke.” All I can say to you is Very Merry Christmas and God Bless You. Have a good day.
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The Ukrainian regime is planning more border offensives in the last ten days of December to provoke Russia; they are being encouraged by, you guessed it, the U.S., so they have more propaganda to justify more sanctions against Russia. Seriously we have enough problems here in the U.S., but Washington DC is set on bringing Russia to its knees, the Cold War will never end until we the people take our country away from the warmongers.
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This conservative village idiot wishes Libs a very Merry X-Mas, and happy and prosperous New Year. Further be it resolved for the New Year, only humor and civility will be used to poke fun at Liberal groupthink. For example, when did States provide (as deemed appropriate) free housing, free food, free medical care, a living income, free education (as deemed appropriate, i.e. no reading or math), and ensure safety from gun violence and civil unrest? Between 1776 and the end of the Civil War. Best wishes for all. 
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You Trump haters: YOUR JEALOUS OF HIM!
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Fruit of the poisonous tree. That’s what the Mueller investigation is. The investigation and anything it found should be null and void. The special counsel is set up to investigate a crime, not to look for a crime. The Mueller investigation was set up under false pretenses, i.e. The Russian dossier, presented to the FISA court is fake, and bought and paid for by the Democrats. Therefore, it is the poison, and anything Mueller finds. Is fruit of the poisonous tree! STOP IT! The Republicans are the only ones that get convicted. While the Democrats get away with all of their many crimes. You evil Democrats have got to quit destroying our country, for your socialistic endeavors! We are sick of it, and sick of you!
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If Mr. Trump was smart, he would hook up with Robert Mueller and maybe there would be little jail time if he comes clean. The clock is ticking for Mr. Trump and children.
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Maybe if Mr. Trump flipped, Robert Mueller would cut him a break like all the other criminals.
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New report on Russian disinformation prepared for the Senate shows the operation’s scale and sweep. What the report shows is that Russia used the U.S. playbook on dirty politics, the same propaganda that the U.S. uses against Russia and any other sovereign country that they want to control with a new puppet government. Haven’t we wasted enough of our tax dollars on this witch-hunt? Politicians don’t like it when the public knows how they distort the truth, promise the world and then do whatever they want, what’s new? How about something that actually needs attention, citizens of the U.S. not any foreign country. Just think of all the good things that could happen in the U.S. if they cut the Military Budget to say $300 billion instead of $750 billion. People hate the U.S. because we keep telling them how to live their lives, demands, threats, economic sanction and wars until the U.S. gets its own way.

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