Readers’ Column for the week of August 31, 2020

You may call the Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2378 24-hours a day, or email comments to readerscolumn@stny.rr.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message. 

 

Defund the Police is a simple term that anyone can understand. It means taking money out of the police budget and giving it to other programs, such as sending social workers to non-violent 911 calls (mistake) and having unarmed civilians stop and issue traffic tickets. It also means cutting police officers and equipment. It also means longer response time, more crime, and less safe streets. The police will also have to respond to the non-violent 911 calls that can and will turn violent in a minute.

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Village of Newark Valley: To the parents that let their kids use the skate park on upper Whig St., teach them some RESPECT! It’s a memorial for a young man who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It’s not a place to throw your garbage on the ground! It’s not up to the Department of Public Works to pick up after your kids. They do all the maintenance; the least you could do is tell your kids to pick up after themselves.

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Some people are saying that reptilians want to dissolve the Village of Spencer. They got it on the ballot for September! I love God and my children, so I’m voting against this. The Village of Spencer stays right where it is, by God!

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Big thank you to the Village of Owego for getting my street repaved. They did a great job with very little inconvenience.

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Would some of you self centered meatheads who refuse to wear a face mask please write into this column and explain why this is so. I’d estimate that 95% of the folks I interact with when away from home are wearing facemasks. What is it with you other 5%? Nobody’s going to tell you what to do? You’re better than everyone else? The whole COVID thing is not real? You amaze me with your stupidity and arrogance. Please explain your no facemask rationale.

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Looking for black locust logs. Please call 687-1249.

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If you think showing up at the polls with a fake ID will somehow automatically get your vote actually counted you are severely under-informed as to how the system works.

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Motorcycle engines operate at much higher RPMs than car engines, so you get faked out by the sound and think they are going much faster than they actually are.

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Okay, compare this then: 60,000 a year die of the flu you say? Okay, so far 180,000 have died of COVID in six months – 360,000 a year at that rate – six times as many as from the flu. Get it now? By the way, the annual flu death average is more like 35,000.

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When listing how to “stop the spread” they should include wearing plastic gloves when shopping and handling clothing and foodstuffs.

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We all need to appreciate our postal workers! They worked non-stop through the pandemic, delivering our mail.  In addition they have the extra burden of Amazon packages that all of us now expect to have delivered to our doors; all of this without any additional compensation. A huge thanks to all the hard working postal employees!

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“By one estimate, there are more than 827,000 viruses in the animal world that have the potential to infect humans. We encourage these spillovers whenever we cut roads through the wilderness, clear forests to grow crops, catch wildlife to sell as trophies or butcher for food, or pen chickens and swine in places where bats and wild birds can mingle with them.” The Virus Hunters, by Maryn McKenna. Smithsonian. July / August 2020.

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When you “see your breath” in the cold you are seeing water VAPOR condense. The CDC says the COVID virus is too big to ride on vapor, it only attaches to droplets (some of which are very small but still way bigger than vapor). This is actually a good thing. If the virus was small enough to ride on vapor, then the disease would be “airborne” and it would spread much farther and faster than it is now.

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I would like to suggest we put green light bulb lights outside to support our troops overseas. Can people put blue bulbs out also to support our men in blue and back them? 

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I will not use the so-called Mario Cuomo Bridge, the old Tappan Zee. It will always be the Tappan Zee Bridge to me. I’ll drive down stream to the more congested George Washington Bridge. He shouldn’t have named it after his father. He’s a jerk; vote him out of office.

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The schools need to reopen. It’s ridiculous that this late in the game schools are now saying, oh we didn’t know we had to have an air filtration system or we are not prepared for cleaning. You have had months! You know everything that all the other businesses have had to go through and you’ve been sitting on your thumbs. It’s not fair to the students. They’re excited to go back and now you want to shut down? If that’s the case, you need to give us our tax money back and teachers, and especially administration, should not be getting raises. Do what’s right for the children for once.

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I still wish that public dining areas and bars would require patrons to wear masks while they are dining in the establishment and eating and drinking at the bars and the tables. I mentioned this at a public eatery the other day and was given the rude response, “Can you use the restroom without uncovering yourself?” My response to that was, “There’s no need to get rude or vulgar about this.” I know it’s a pain in the petunias to do a lot of things these days but wearing a mask at public eateries, public restaurants and bars needs to be done if we are ever going to get over this pandemic. 

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Here is my pet peeve for the day. There’s a perfectly good handle on a door and the door is a glass patio door. Why do people have to put their hands all over the glass? The handle works perfectly! You can open it by touching the glass! They are a pain in the butt to clean. That’s my pet peeve for the day.

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It makes no sense to put recyclables in a child’s wagon. That’s what they make recyclable bins for. I think somebody needs to lighten up because I think that was an honest mistake. 

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We want to commend Stray Haven in Waverly and the veterinary professionals present and the free rabies clinic this past Saturday. An exceptional turnout. Thanks to all of you for great service and a good job.

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This is for all of you who think you have to look at a caller I.D. screen or listen on an answering machine in order to screen your calls because you are so afraid of talking to telemarketers. All you have to do when a telemarketer calls is the first instinct of a telemarketer on the line; place one palm over the earpiece and one palm over the mouthpiece of your phone receiver. Hold it that way for about 30 seconds and the telemarketer will hang up and will not bother you. Telemarketers like it when they keep receiving answering machines because they think you are not home and will keep calling you. 

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Just wondering, if a mosquito bites a person with COVID, do you think if it bites another person it could spread it? If anybody knows, please respond.

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I know its kind of late in the season, but I have four pairs of brand-new summer sandals to give to someone that can wear a size 7. If you are interested call Blanch, 748-2492.

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I’m a little old-fashioned lady, but if anyone out there would like some cassette tapes, they are blank and they can record on them. They are free and I have about 15 of them. Call 748-2942.

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I agree with last week’s caller about speeding motorcycles. They are also too loud. I wish the police would check them with decimal meters. 

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I believe the Owego Pharmacy ad in the Pennysaver is so cute. I love that puppy. Also, Tom Ash Insurance window in Owego, those puppies are so precious. They have masks on and all. In West Candor, there is this gorgeous place with flowerbeds to die for! There are little paths with white fences and benches with water pumping little ponds. Just like an old-fashioned garden. With the entire virus, the beauty made up for it after all. 

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I can only ask one question. When you consider voting this year, what do you want for your children and their children? You need to think about it very hard.

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I hope that the children that are homeschooled are required to go to school once a month or every few weeks to be tested to make sure they are learning like they should be. How are they going to grade these kids? Some of these parents who are home schooling think it’s a big joke. They teach for a half hour and then it’s playtime all the time. I’m just worried about these kids; they are being hurt.

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Gee Governor Cuomo, crime is way up. What did you think would happen in New York? Number one, you don’t keep the criminals locked up. Number two you welcome illegal people that bring the gangs with them. Number three you allow rioting. Number four, you are stopping the police from what they are trained to do. Protect U.S. citizens that obey the law! That is what made this a safe place to live. The people with money are leaving New York. Why? This is no longer a safe place to live. Thanks Governor Cuomo, people think you would make a great president? Silly them.

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I’m just so grateful to live in New York State. Our Governor Cuomo is a shining star. You even see him on the national news and things like that being talked about. How blessed are we to have a great leader like that. Thank you, Governor Cuomo, and hopefully all this will start improving greatly by February when we have a new president.

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The Hometown Hero banners for the village of Nichols have now been installed, so take a drive or a walk around the village and pay respect to our veterans.

 

National Political Viewpoints

William H. McRaven, former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011-2014, warned, “President Trump is actively working to undermine every major institution in this country. He has planted the seeds of doubt in the minds of many Americans that our institutions aren’t functioning properly. And, if the president doesn’t trust the intelligence community, law enforcement, the press, the military, the Supreme Court, the medical professionals, election officials and the postal workers, then why should we? And if Americans stop believing in the system of institutions, then what is left but chaos and who can bring order out of chaos: only Trump. It is the theme of every autocrat who ever seized power or tried to hold onto it.”

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President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, bringing sweeping changes to the tax code. The tax cuts provided 80% of the benefits to the top 1%, and less than 3% of the benefits to those who earn under $100,000 per year. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted a net reduction to the national debt as a result of the overhaul. Not surprising, when you cut taxes, you get less revenue, and with increased spending on top of that the deficit will explode to perhaps $2 trillion over the coming decade. This growth in the deficit was actually part of a plan, begun under Bush-43, mainly halted under Obama, and then resumed under Trump.  The Republicans argued that the deficit is too big and therefore there had to be a reduction in spending, primarily in social programs like social security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. The current COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a “monkey-wrench” into this, with the necessity to enact the CARES Act, spending trillions of dollars in a stimulus bill plan that has increased the deficit far more than what the Republicans wanted. Reductions in social spending will not be enough, and an increase in taxes is the only solution to stop the growth. As a result, the Republicans want no more relief spending, no matter what the impact will be with the loss of income for food and housing for the average citizens. Trump and the Republicans have “shown their hand”, that they do not care, and that there is a need to vote them out of office in November, Trump included.

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The reason why some politicians and ALL Democrat politicians hate Trump so much is he has stepped on their toes. With all of Trump’s accomplishments, both foreign and domestic, he makes getting things done look easy. Politicians are scared, because their goals are to make their job look difficult. They don’t have a clue how to get things done like Trump does! Trump has made these career swamp creatures, our so-called “lawmakers,” look totally inept! Look at Biden; he has a 47-year career of doing nothing, with the exception of doing for his family! ROAR!

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A friend who knows the right people told me that New York’s one-party Dem legislature plans to amend New York’s Constitution to empower King Cuomo with the Divine Right of Kings, thereby eliminating wasteful spending on mail-in ballots. Court jester and Clown Prince Chris Cuomo shall fill out the Royal lineage as minister of public employee union relations and propaganda. Like “Forcing COVID-19 infected into nursing homes, wasn’t brother Cuomo’s fault. It was Trump who did it.”

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The only way to make America great again is to DUMP Trump! If he were Pinocchio, his nose would encircle the Earth.

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I’m sure you are aware that the politicians who are playing with this stimulus business are paid, no matter what. Interesting THEY get paid, most of us don’t, and they waste time with distractions like this bogus Post Office “crisis” in order to avoid doing anything positive about getting others paid. Ought to influence your vote in November!

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I got my popcorn ready to watch the clown show on CNN, but decided it was not worth it. After four years of King Donnie’s inability to accept responsibility by blaming everything on everyone else, I really did not want to watch four nights of the same. Go Biden / Harris!

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I watched some of the democratic convention and  all they did was put President Trump’s accomplishments down. They blamed him for all the deaths with the COVID-19, and said he didn’t react quickly enough. As soon as the first case arrived in the U.S., he closed the border between China and the U.S. while Pelosi was in Chinatown saying there was nothing to worry about. A lot of states did not have their stockpiles up to date and fully equipped before the virus hit us. That was not Trump’s fault. When I heard what Cuomo was saying about Trump it made me sick. He had a ship and the Javits Center available to put COVID-19 patients in, but he decided to put infected elderly back into the nursing homes. Also, Trump isn’t removing the mailboxes. The post office is replacing the boxes and some are not being put back because they don’t get any mail in them at all. Why aren’t most of the news channels not showing the looting or riots and destroying of properties and all the killings of young children and babies in Chicago? Fox news is the only channel where I saw any coverage.

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Too much time is being wasted on the “mail-in voting” method. Let’s simplify, just go to the polls in November and VOTE!

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This election is all about power in the Democratic Party, which has gone completely Left wing. It is looking to seize power so that they can tell you how to run your life; under socialism, you would become a slave to the government.

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Continually breaking windows in your Democrat glass houses requires a reminder of the legacy of our last President. Obama ran in 2008 as a post-partisan figure while also proposing a transformational agenda. By the end of his presidency, he was boasting that he had a “pen and phone” and was governing by executive order – a total of 276 times. Hypocrites, put your rocks away.

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All of these “protesters” constantly display their ignorance.  It’s obvious they haven’t lived anywhere else, read about living anywhere else, talked to anyone or made any move to actually learn! If things in this country are so bad, why are people from all parts of the world trying to come here by any means? Makes no sense. How many of these “protesters” are being funded by George Soros or others like him?

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We need to make a positive change for our country and get us back on track and back to being the United States of America that we all used to be very proud of and the world looked at us for guidance. Make sure you vote for a positive, supportive, caring, empathetic president in November. He’s eager to get started and to turn this ship around just like he has helped do in the past. So, make sure you get out and vote for a positive, heartwarming, kind, motivated professional president.

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Slow Joe has been endorsed by the Chinese State media. They say he will be “smoother” to deal with than Trump. Both Joe and Joe’s son also endorsed the Chinese funds provided to them in the past.

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A fine example of living in a country where there’s a dictator in charge, the person in charge of the mail system pulled out the mail sorting machines that were made right here in the Owego, N.Y. area that sort a million pieces of mail an hour. He pulled out multiples of them throughout the country. Do you know how many staff people it would take to sort out a million pieces of mail an hour? He says that they were removed for efficiency. That’s like cutting off somebody’s hand and saying okay, make supper now. Why take away precious tools that help everybody? 

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I was really surprised when I saw a report that more than 70 career republicans are supporting Biden. That just shows how they realize what a horrible mistake they did encouraging and promoting Trump. They could have avoided all this if they could have impeached him on the criminal actions, but now he’s had more time to destroy our companies, our country, our health, and our world standing. He’s made us look like a bunch of idiots. Unfortunately, we are judged by his actions.

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Last week I sent about three pieces of paper to one of my children in a 9 1/2-inch by 12 1/2-inch brown paper envelope. At the post office it cost me $1.40 for three pieces of paper. I also got some junk mail in a same size brown envelope with an 18-cent stamp on it and probably had 20 pieces of paper in it for 18 cents! The agency of our government is busy giving away things like social security that people didn’t pay for, welfare and food stamps, for college, etc. Do you realize we are paying for all these free things so they can spend more of our money? 

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Pity poor Donald, he seems to have become addicted to being the center of attention. When this year or four years from now he is no longer president, to what lengths will he go to remain in the public eye?

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With the coronavirus there will be a vaccine. I would think the American people should be more afraid of the rioting and the protesting and the violence that we are seeing in our large democratic run cities. Think about it. We have democratic mayors; we have democratic governors who look the other way. They don’t think it’s a problem. You have the prosecutors in that state who don’t prosecute. Let’s not forget Cuomo’s bail release program. You can commit all the crime you want, come in the front door, we’ll take your fingerprints, we’ll do a little paperwork on you, we’ll send you out the back door and tell you to have a nice day. Guess what? It doesn’t take much to figure out these people go right back, join their friends, and do more looting and protesting. I don’t understand where the democratic heads and brains are.

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If you think Trump is working so great with the economy, the current economy is worse than the Great Depression. No unemployment, more people needing food assistance, etc. The reason the economy had improved at the beginning of his term was because Obama / Biden had put it in place, so he got to ride the rollercoaster of a good economy on all of their hard work eight years prior. 

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Two words, dump Trump.

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After watching the republican convention last night, wow, what a difference from the democrats. Republicans were yelling, threatening, giving no specifics and only lip service. Meanwhile the democrats were calm, reassuring, encouraging and giving specifics of what they will do when getting elected in November to help get our economy and our country out of this terrible health crisis. 

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I still don’t understand after three and a half years how smart, intelligent, brilliant people can even think to vote for Trump. He has lied every day for three and a half years and he has lied thousands of times. In my heart I could not vote for a human being like him to run and damage this country anymore.

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No matter if you are Republican or a Democratic resident of New York State, you should know that our state was in deep trouble before COVID, and now we have a $15 billion deficit. It is going to have to be paid for. It always boils down to money and it is made worse by income inequality. The only way New York is going to recover to total prosperity is to tax more on the wealthy. They should pay more, because they have it. And I don’t mean like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos – I mean all these people around here that live in their nice houses, have nice cars and 401k’s, maybe a fishing boat, they go out to dinner, and they retire early to have fun while the rest of us have to work. There’s a lot of money out there in the pockets of all these rich wealthy people around us. I have worked hard all my life and I have never gotten what I deserved. It’s not fair. 

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It amazes me how two faced the politicians are. There’s a commercial on blaming Pelosi and Brindisi for taking months to impeach Trump. So, what do the Republicans do? They don’t even hold a trial. No witnesses, no information allowed, and they allowed him to run free. Everything that has happened from January on is the Republican’s fault. Crashing the economy, the soaring pandemic, and the embarrassment we are to the world, all because the republicans wouldn’t do their job.

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I can’t believe people still support a bully in the White House. It blows my mind! Being vindictive and evil, withholding federal funds from country, state, county and families. The only person he is watching out for is himself and that’s why he surrounds himself with criminals. We need to make a change in November if you want our lives to improve.