Readers’ Column for the week of October 4, 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. 

What a wonderful gift to hear Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the bandstand on the Newark Valley Green Wednesday evening. We were so blessed to have such a positive experience to lift the spirits of all who came to listen. Thank you!

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Thank you to everyone who wears a mask correctly over your mouth and nose and don’t have to be asked or reminded. It’s awesome to see some of the beautiful things that people have. Also, the ones with vents are dangerous for you and everybody else. That is not a protection valve. That is for working with sawdust and such so it does nothing for the spread of disease, same thing for the plastic face shields. They do nothing to stop the spread of disease. Medical personnel wear that to protect their mask, their eyes and their face. Keep up the good work everybody. It’s awesome to see you out. 

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The person that called in last week, they were right on about the morons liking to burn anything and everything. I thought I was the only one in the community that has a neighbor like that. They burn everything and nobody does anything about it. We’ll probably see more burning when this recycling stops. Good luck to everybody!

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Why is it that us computer illiterate or non-technos, so to speak, are being discriminated against these days? You can’t even find an employer or a business that gives paper applications anymore. Everything you’re told is to go online or go use the computer, or go take a computer class. What about us who are not interested in taking computer classes and want to do things the old fashion way? Paper applications should be available to any and all! 

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Is there anyone that would want 78 records? I’ll give them away free. Call 625-3564.

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To the caller last week that was looking for a Sabbath Church, try the 7th Day Adventist Church at 1090 Route 96, Candor. We meet every Saturday at 9 a.m. and we would love to worship with you. 

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Trying to find LOCALLY made butter. Anybody out there have any ideas?

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Can someone please tell me why there is no legislation requiring people to provide documentation if they are unable to wear a mask or face covering in any public place. When you drive a vehicle in New York or Pennsylvania you must provide documentation if you cannot wear a seatbelt. However, wearing a face covering, you do not have to provide that documentation. This should become a regulation while this pandemic is going on. 

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I want to say thank you to the staff and Don Castellucci and the assessor’s office at the Town Hall building on Route 434 for the help I received during this COVID crisis. They all went out of their way to help this United States Marine Corps veteran. Owego is veteran friendly and respectful, and I want to say thanks and keep up the good work. 

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I think it is terrible that Tioga County is ending their recycling without even putting up a public referendum. Why is it these people down in Owego, these republicans, think they know what’s best for everybody? Do you know where this recycling is going to end up? It’s going to end up in the state lands and along the roads. Are you people crazy? Why not charge a little more and keep the recycling? This is ridiculous, we are getting less services all the time in this County. I can’t wait to move out of it. 

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To the person who stole my Trump sign from my front yard; number one, it is illegal to do that; number two, I know who you are because guess what, I have a game camera set up and I know who you are young lady. Do it again, I will call the police.

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Now I see there are still a lot of rude and insensitive people not wearing their facemasks out and about shopping and the stores will not do anything about it. 

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The Tioga County Board of Elections mailer says that if you applied for an absentee ballot for the general election the same time you applied for the one for the June primaries, you must reapply. The senior scoop says that if you checked the general election box, you’ve already applied for November. This information doesn’t match up. I would advise you call the Tioga County Board of Elections at 687-8261.

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To the reader that said people only remember four numbers at a time – it’s a real psychological phenomena called “the magic number 7, plus or minus 2.” Depending upon the individual and the specific information, we can only process 5 to 9 “chunks” of information at a time. That’s why people usually list their SSN as XXX-XX-XXXX (3 “chunks”) or their phone number as 607-687-2378. If you want to have fun with someone, the next time you give out your phone number, say 6076 – 8723 – 78.

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Get prepared! Tioga County COVID cases are taking over our towns and villages and our health department is too busy to let us know. Start asking why the bars are closed. A COUPLE DAYS and other businesses are closed for two weeks, and yet there are no notifications to let the customers or the public be tested. Their only job is supposed to be to protect the public. Obviously they are too busy. Maybe they can just raise our taxes again and brag about all the SERVICES we get. (Note from the Editor: We post the numbers daily at our website, www.owegopennysaver.com, as well as any notifications received from the county and the Public Health Department. We also include in our weekly print brief.)

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Regarding recyclables; here is a fun fact that I didn’t know, as well as others. Our recycle bills are based on our home’ value. If you own a $300,000 home and you live alone, you pay more than someone that owns a $100,000 home and has, shall we say, four family members. Who puts out more? Would it not be fairer to take all taxable properties in Tioga County and divide that by 2.48 million?

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If there’s no market for recyclable items, then the solution would be to start eliminating them, nationwide. I’m not THAT old – I remember REUSABLES; milk, juice, etc., in glass bottles that were washed and refilled; the same with soda. It may necessitate it coming in reasonably sized bottles and may cost a bit more. When I was a kid soda was considered a treat, which was maybe one reason why obesity wasn’t as prevalent. There were also jobs at bottling plants. We all survived without Styrofoam packaging, plates, and take-out containers. We drank water from the tap! Mostly because our parents knew a time when there was no such luxury as running water, right in the house. There is a new study out which says all this plastic we use is collecting in our bodies as tiny particles that don’t ever break down and build up over time. So going back to using natural, degradable, reusable packaging is going forward to having some common sense.

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Why did Tioga County legislators hold off on the recycling situation until the last minute? We elect and pay you to make the hard choices that are best for the taxpayers, not to leave it up to the trash haulers, municipalities and homeowners. This should have been discussed last year and resolved. After watching the meeting on Zoom, a few things became very clear. The legislators don’t want to sign a new contract because our 2% tax cap would be gone, therefore grant money would be gone! I truly believe most people would be willing to pay more to keep the service. My bill last year was $47, and change; if it doubled, it still would be cheaper than doing it myself, or hiring to have it done. So in closing, do what’s best for the taxpayer! 

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Will the party who lost a Scott’s spreader please pick it up on Woodlawn Avenue in the Halstead Development on my front lawn? Thanks.

 

National Political Viewpoints

What democratic fools. They continue to put their beliefs into the polls. Did they not learn anything in 2016? And then you have Brindisi who is backing the passing of the SPOONSS Act because he says jobs need to stay here. Is this man just realizing that? Wow, is he sharp!

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Everyone that is looking to vote needs to be educated in who they are voting for. We all need to remember that under eight years of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Lockheed Martin, our number one employer, lost a lot of employees because they cut back on federal spending for our defense projects. Remember that when you go to the ballot box. And also, Joe Biden has health issues that will impede his ability to do his job. That means if someone votes for him, they will be voting for Kamala Harris, the most radical senator in the senate, for president. Please remember that when you go to the voting box.

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Donald Trump could not destroy America without the help and the cooperation and the assistance and the blind loyalty and the permission and the enabling and the wink and a nod of the republican senate. So, on Nov. 3 I’m voting every one of you republican senators out. Oh, also Trump.

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I’ve never been a political affiliation person, I’ve always voted for who was the most credible and ethical, had the best plans. After these last few months, I am now a diehard democrat. Republicans say one thing and then do something else. They have a temper tantrum if they don’t get it their way and they are not the least bit interested in helping the American people. Unless you happen to be an owner of a mega company, they don’t care about you. They lie to you, they’ve lied to all of us; this COVID did not have to be this bad. He knew about this way back in February, how horrible it would be. They even had him on tape and he knew he was being recorded saying he downplayed it, that he liked to downplay it.

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What a bunch of liars those republicans are. Take my word; use my own words against me. If there was a democratic or republican president and there was a supporting court nomination ready to happen during the election year, the incoming president gets to do it, not the current one. Multiple republicans say it and now they say it doesn’t apply. That was more than nine months ago when the last president had an opening on the Supreme Court, not six weeks! Republicans are nothing but liars and double talkers, not to be trusted. I know I’ll never vote for a republican, ever.

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I just returned from staying in a red state in the south recently and I can tell you that there is a massive under reporting of COVID cases. A person could have COVID but die of pneumonia or respiratory distress, and they will list the death as pneumonia instead of COVID. It is the disease that gave them the respiratory infection. This is how a lot of areas are remaining open. 

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I did not understand last week’s comment by Jeffrey Canada, president of the Harlem Children’s Zone. I did not get the point. What a waste of time! 

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Hunter Biden racked in millions of dollars from his Russian and Chinese connections to billionaire oligarchs and prostitution rings in Eastern Europe. He got $3.5 million from the wife of the mayor in Moscow. He had secret bank accounts in China. Joe Biden dummied up and said he knows nothing, absolutely nothing, and that he trusts his son. Come on Joe! 

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If I had to describe Donald Trump in one word it would be nonsense.

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Newsflash! Amy Coney Barrett will be our next Supreme Court judge. She is actually over qualified. She will be attacked for her religion and her staunch support of the constitution. The dimwit democrats look petty partisan and pusillanimous. Go Trump!

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It’s Sunday again, here I sit reading The Owego Pennysaver, and I would like to say to the democrats, why don’t you just start thinking something positive instead of all of this bashing. If Trump’s such a lousy person, did you get a stimulus check? Did you cash it? Did you dance all the way to the bank? Not only that let me ask you this question; what democrat do you know that would work and not take a paycheck. Trump doesn’t even take a paycheck and you democrats stand out there and bash him. They say he’s only there to line his pockets. How can he do that when he doesn’t even take a paycheck? 

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I love The Owego Pennysaver comment section. I read it all the time. I must say, as I took a ride through Tioga County today, enjoying the weather and the nice fall foliage I saw one Biden / Harris sign on one person’s lawn. As I continued my drive, I saw five Trump / Pence signs. What does that tell you? I think I was driving in Trump country. Nice feeling. 

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It’s Sunday, Sept. 27, it has just come out that Trump only paid $750 in taxes. A crime. I would like it to be printed how the presidents have paid their taxes in the past and then compare it to Trump so that Trump people could see again the lies that he is saying. That would be very helpful and logical to show how past presidents, republicans and democrats, have paid their taxes, unlike Trump.

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The democrats have to show they’re crazy somewhere else. The smart American people are not buying it.

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In my America I expect kindness, justice, and liberty for all. In my America I sadly found hate, violence, and encouraged arrogance. In my America I still pray for love, hope, and forgiveness. 

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I see the New York Times released another bombshell. Misleading lies about Donald Trump’s taxes. Wow! What a coincidence. It happened the day before the debate. I can’t wait to see what they come up with election week. By the way, did they ever rescind the lies about what he said about veterans? Of course not. They never do. How much more can democrats sink. It’s pathetic!

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You need to look at these two men. Joe Biden has overcome obstacles that would just devastate and demolish any individual but he has surpassed that and gone on to be a great legislator. Donald Trump was born with a silver spoon and he squandered it. Donald Trump is a crook, nothing more. 

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Wow! Speechless: Mind numbing, undemocratic ballot suppression, power-move, ala Russia. 

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I will not wear a mask. They don’t prevent the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, COVID-19 is simply a flu hybrid, and it has become politicized. It will all go away after the election. 

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I will not take the coronavirus vaccine if Dr. Scott Atlas is still around. He is not experienced in the coronavirus field like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Burkes, and Dr. Redfield. Also, Dr. Atlas will say whatever Trump wants. He gives false information to Trump. So, if Trump and Atlas are out, I might consider taking the vaccine, maybe.

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Well, how much more proof that you need that Trump is a crook? You’ve had people after people tell you he’s nothing but a sleaze and a crook. I cannot believe you people keep supporting him! Here he is now; he’s not just a draft dodger, he’s a tax dodger! He pays little or no taxes and he is just such a criminal. What is wrong with this country? I feel so bad for the people of this country.

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Trump will not leave quietly but he will leave, even if he has to be escorted. 

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Republicans are spending tons of money trying to get my vote. They have had three-plus years to come up with a viable health plan. They haven’t even made a start. All they do is chip away at the present one and do nothing constructive to put anything suitable in its place.

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The news says the democrats will contest the presidential election, but I’m sitting here scratching my head. Why would anyone contest a Trump landslide? I don’t get it. If anybody has an answer, please call into this column and let me know.

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My ancestors used to tell me, in matters of opinion; debate is pointless, especially when ignorance is added in.

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I have noticed the people who have “I want my OPD” signs in their yards for the last two years have traded them in for a Biden for president sign. Apparently, they have had a change of heart or they have forgotten that Biden said the police are the enemy of the people and should be defunded. You might want to consider your choices; you just might get what you asked for.

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I just finished watching the presidential debate. The current occupant has no common decency, courtesy or manners. He talks over everybody, he can’t let anybody else have anything to say, and then his fake-ness comes out, big time. He had an opportunity to shut down hate groups and all he told them to do was stand by. He only invigorates hatred and his ultimate goal is to destroy us. He thinks he’s better than everybody, including you, his supporters. He doesn’t care about you, not one iota and he’ll be glad to tell you that.

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The only way evil succeeds is when good decent people do nothing. Please get out and vote and make a difference in our United States. Get us out of this horrible mess we are in and get us back to a life that we can all enjoy; and get this virus under control. 

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What an embarrassment the office of President of the United States, President Trump, displayed during the debate on Tuesday night! He was like a child who could not control himself and wait his turn. Oh, wait; that’s who he is, and he was just (again) showing his true colors. Our country deserves so much better and we all can be better versions of ourselves. Vote Joe! #CatholicsWithAConscience

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Question, what is with people getting all goofy over climate change and demanding that the U.S. make huge changes to cut emissions? Why are Russia, India, China, and other countries immune? China and India are two of the worst polluters on the planet. What’s being done to make changes in their world?

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A conservative Supreme Court ruled: African-Americans, free or enslaved, were not citizens (Dred Scott v Sandford 7-2); Women did not have the right to vote (Minor v Happersett 9-0); Segregation was legal (Plessey v Ferguson 8-1); States could not interfere with the fugitive slave act enforcement (Ableman v Booth 9-0). Conservative courts are not good for freedom.

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In response to the person who wrote and asked, “Since when do we have voting for two months before the election and $150 million mail in votes?” He then blamed the Democrats for trying to steal the election? Come on! You should know by now the obvious answer is the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of people, both democrat and republican, just feel safer in doing it this way. Please STOP with the blame flame thing you got going on and use your brain instead. You should have known that they started early so that the ballots would get there on time. I whole-heartedly believe in the U.S.P.S., and I hope as an American that you do too. God bless America, and you too.

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Watching the first debate between our dear leader and Joe Biden was eye opening. Once again we saw the grand bully spouting as much as he could and not even telling his supporters and the American public what he would do for the next four years. He also did not tell white supremacists they needed to stand down (period). It probably cost him the election. I wonder what it will take for Trump supporters to finally realize they have been taken by a shyster. He could care less about Americans as much as he does about money. He has shown that time and again. What is the secret that keeps these supporters by him? It certainly cannot be his tax cut or the wall, both of which have never occurred. Where is that healthcare plan he spouted about in 2015? Where is that manufacturing? Where are his bogus promises? 

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What a hoot! Why in the world would states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many others want to use taxpayer money from their state to bail out Socialist Democrat havens like New York and California? After years of mismanagement and fiscal shenanigans, free everything for everybody, etc., why should they get any help from anyone in their right mind? They screwed up royally. Face the music and take responsibility!