Readers’ Column for the week of March 21, 2021

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.

 

Does anyone know where I can find a good Shaman?

~

This Vietnam Vet would like to give a big thank you to the gentle that anonymously paid for my meal at Original’s on March 2. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and kindness. It is greatly appreciated. I know I am a little late with my response, but it is never too late to say thank you!

~

Internment of Germans was on an individual basis and only from coastal areas. All Japanese were interned. Try to do research.

~

Voting machines did not switch or add votes. The paper records matched the machine counts. Try to get a grip on reality.

~

My father was born in 1912. He lived through WWI; the 1918 flu; the depression and the failure of the family business; WWII and its rationing and blackouts; the Korean war; avoided polio; watched his children go through measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox; the loss of his wife when she was just 51; and the VietNam war. Even most of his life with (gasp) no TV! No cell phones. No personal computers. Those of you who whine about a year of mask wearing and social distancing are spoiled rotten.

~

Amongst other things, the term corruption means decay, purification, rot, etc. This is Cuomo’s legacy for the state’s bureaucracy. It was not this way before Cuomo. The DMV and Department of Taxation are exceptions. Despite privacy rights, New York State Tax auditors will search home refrigerators to determine residency. As with the COVID death count, number fudging and data withholding of information is pervasive. Try to communicate with the Governor’s office, Attorney General, Department of Housing, or education on a non-trivial issue. Despite any urgency, a wall of automated response controls and policy ensures no identifiable or qualified civil servant needs response. By design it is a fortress of attritional warfare on you. You are NOT permitted access to any knowledge. However, the hundreds of liaison officers in the offices of state legislators do have access to civil servants. That is, only New York State senators and assemblymen are permitted to enter the sacred ground of the state’s bureaucracy; citizens are not welcome. Consequently, there exists one, a system where only a privileged few can access the state’s civil service and two, a dysfunctional and most likely unsuccessful communication results with no resolution to urgent or otherwise issue results. It’s good enough for government work. After endless and wasteful attempts to communicate, the state agency will tell you to submit a FOIL request, adding six to 12 months of senseless frustration. Get Cuomo out!

~

“To abolish mask-wearing laws in some States while the rest of the Nation keeps theirs is like designating a peeing section of the swimming pool.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson.

~

I hear that restaurants and bars are going to 75% capacity around the end of March, first part of April. I’m only praying to God that they make patrons wear their masks the whole time they are in these facilities, not just when entering and leaving and using the restrooms. How can I put food in my face with a face covering on does not cut water. You can sign your name with a cast on your arm and walk with a cast on your leg, you can eat with a face covering on your mouth. This needs to be done if we are going to get over the pandemic.

~

A big thanks to the people who cleaned up the Riverwalk in Owego! Now that the weather is getting nice, me and some other people will be able to walk on it. Thank you very much. 

~

I too agree that the Village of Owego should not cancel the Strawberry Festival over the virus. However, I do believe that Owego should have another festival that they should be very proud of and that should be the sewage of Owego festival. Charging granny using the toilet once a day the same as nine people living in a 3-bedroom house is wrong and is communism. Owego doesn’t need eight police officers and dogs and all this stuff. It’s a waste of money, there’s no crime in Owego, and you’ve got a couple of crack heads using drugs. Other than that, we don’t have a lot of shootings and a lot of killings, and we have police down the road. Owego needs one cop, one desk, and one car.

~

I am a Spencer Lions member and we cannot have any events because of COVID. Why can other places have events with no ventilation?

~

April is the month of the military child. It is also the time when Americans unite to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and their courage and resilience in the face of adversity. When deployment hits home, the children are the ones that are most upset. Show your support of our little soldiers by tying a yellow or purple ribbon around a tree, a lamppost, fencepost, etc. 

~

I agree with the callers last week about the number of commercials on Spectrum TV. It is ridiculous, and what can somebody do about it? Yes, now it’s reruns or taking programs off and putting something stupid on in its place. Help, help!

~

Congratulations to the four Tioga Central Junior Tigers that came in at the last minute and won the scholarship challenge! I listened to you guys and cheered you on from home the whole time. You were wonderful! Congratulations go Tigers!

~

The ones that have a “d” after their name may seem to be getting by with things in this world, but you can be sure that they won’t in the next.

~

It seems that Cuomo did not care about the people in the nursing homes. He was reckless with his decisions. He blames everybody but himself. It’s really too bad others from out of state tuned in daily to listen to this liar. I wonder what their thoughts are now. Are they rushing to tune into him now and continue to listen to him? I sure hope not.

~

Now that the Antique Center in Owego is becoming very busy, especially on weekends, it is too bad that visitors can’t find the public entrance to the Fanny Hyde parking lot. A single, simple green Public Parking arrow hung over North Avenue at Temple Street would be a big help. That and regular enforcement of the existing parking codes and zones.

~

Man what a waste of money! The IBM annual stockholders report has to cost close to 100 bucks a copy when you add composition, printing, labor, and postage. With a less elaborate document, the savings could be better utilized for charity.

~

This is a request for dog owners to be responsible for their pet’s safety as well as the safety of others. I was walking in the village and I saw a woman walking a large dog coming down the sidewalk towards my dog and me. It was apparent that she had poor control of her dog so I politely got off the sidewalk and started to walk on the side of the road. She allowed her dog to come close enough to me and knock me over, and as I sat on the side of the road scraped and stunned she stated she wanted to tell me her dog was friendly. She offered no assistance or apology. Keeping your pets in a fenced area or a leashed protects them and others. Especially with spring coming, we all want to be safe.

National Political Viewpoint

Another story on my list is that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell today warned Democrats in the Senate not to get rid of the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation. “Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin, can even begin, to imagine what a completely scorched earth Senate would look like,” he said. But, in fact, they can, because it was McConnell himself who got rid of the filibuster to hammer through Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, and who pushed through Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which benefited only the very wealthy, by using a technique that avoided the filibuster. — Heather Cox Richardson (March 16, 2021)

~

This comment is in response to the person who wanted to wash off the stupid look on President Biden’s face. Why don’t you start with Trump and his orange make up, it will run just as he will when the AG’s from New York and Georgia are finished investigating him. Let’s not forget the rape charges as well.

~

Gee, you don’t think this whole Biden approach to the pandemic has been an attempt to create a nation of “Sheeple” do you? They thought / hoped people would just follow what they were told to do, be good little sheep and be led in the wrong direction without protest. That isn’t happening and Biden and company are finding that out!

~

Someone said that if you complain about Biden, I bet you are NOT refusing to cash those stimulus checks that you are getting. Damn right! We are cashing them or the money will go for continued pork barrel spending. Others and myself know we worked hard and paid tax dollars toward times like this and are deserving of the stimulus money. The Stimulus could have been higher to really help the suffering Americans if it was not for pork barrel spending.

~

Someone said last week, way to go Republicans for not accepting the COVID Relief $1.9 trillion stimulus package that is desperately needed. That’s because only 9% was going toward COVID related suffering Americans. If trillions of dollars had not been going toward wasteful spending, in or out of the U.S., The Republicans would have been on board. Also, qualified persons could have received $10,000 each, which may have allowed them to pay the rent and have money left over for food. The $1,400 is a slap in the face! To name a few examples, $21,000 for federal employees to stay home, $25,000 bonus for state government workers, $50 million for Planned Parenthood, $200 million for Museum and Library Services, $270 million Endowment for Arts / Humanities, $1.5 billion to Amtrak, $12 billion in foreign aid, $15 billion for Illegal immigrant-eligible healthcare, $111 billion for welfare without work requirements, and $350 billion to bail out blue states. Most of these are not compliant with the problem at hand! The $1.9 trillion package could have been a lot less if it really went for COVID Relief only. The Democrat supporters were thinking of themselves and what they want, as usual! Re-read and let this sink in!

~

To answer what one Republican is doing with their newest “stimulus” check of $1,400 is it will join the original $1,200 and $600 check in the bank to pay for the increased tax bills, which will arrive via I.R.S., the State, Local School Board, County, Town or Village tax bills. There are no free lunches.

~

While Republican leaders try to rile up voters against the new administration, Republican state legislators in 43 states are trying to limit the vote. Arizona state representative John Kavanaugh, who chairs the state’s Government and Elections Committee, made headlines yesterday when he explained that Republicans were happy to create measures that kept people from voting because “everybody shouldn’t be voting. Quantity is important, but we have to look at the quality of votes, as well.”

Heather Cox Richardson March 12, 2021. [Is this really what we want democracy to look like?]

~

Yes, Joe Biden once called Donald Trump a clown, but that pales in comparison to the following gems Trump has used to belittle other people: boring, cheatin’, a complete and total disaster, corrupt, crazed, creepy, crooked, a crying lowlife, dangerous, deranged, disgusting, dishonest, dopey, doesn’t have a clue, don’t have the brains you were born with, dumb as a rock, dumbo, a dummy dope, failing, a fake president, foul mouthed, a fool, goofy, has a horrible reputation, heartless and insulting, a loser, a lightweight, a low class slob, lyin’, makes up stories, making our country unsafe, a monster, a moron, nobody can be this stupid, not a smart person, sleazebag, obnoxious, obsolete, out of control, overrated, pathetic, pathetically weak, phony, a rat, ridiculous, rude, sad, scary, shady, should be prosecuted, a slime ball, slippery, sneaky, a spoiled brat, stupid, a terrible person, a total con, a total loser, totally dishonest, totally incompetent, truly weird, unprofessional, an untruthful slime ball,  a very dishonest guy, very nasty, vicious, wacky, weak, and the worst. Did you notice that these epithets Donald Trump has used to disparage other people accurately describe him?  That’s right, it does take one to know one.

~

What a hoot! All the ignorant Republicans are crying because president Biden hasn’t had his 1st State of the Union Address yet. Take a wild guess on when the Buffoon who previously occupied the White House held his 1st State of the Union address. Over a year from when he took office. That’s right!

~

When President Biden took office he said he would vaccinate 100 million Americans in 100 days. Well, he has beat that 30 days ahead of schedule. Thank you Joe! It’s great to have an intelligent President who can put more than two coherent words together. And he doesn’t need two hands to drink from a glass of water either. Must be hand size or something.

~

Sometime when you have a minute, Google Agenda 21. Frightening. And know that Bill Gates is on board with this, as are many “elites”!

~

What a hoot! According to reputable polls 1.70% of people responding would vote for President Trump if he ran again; 2.50% of the population of this country do NOT consider Biden to be president. Kind of puts the emphasis where it belongs now, doesn’t it?

~

If China is a failure because of socialism, then why is 90% of the merchandise sold in the U.S.A. made in China, and ETL instead of UL on the electrical products? ISO9001 rough translation, fox in charge of hen house.

~

Are you ready to declare this past election null and void and get back to having things on the RIGHT path instead of what we now have?

~

Hey Biden, are you going to donate your $400,000 salary for this year to Texas? What were you thinking? You need to get the wall finished and put more border patrol down there and destroy the cartels. Do you really care about people? So far there are only two things I see you are good for. Signing your name and destroying everything good that happened under the Trump Administration. I’m wondering if this is a ploy by the Democrats to let Joe go until they get what they want and then Pelosi will do Act 25 to remove a sitting president for incompetence? Then all she has to do is set up Harris and get her removed and guess what, Pelosi will be president. Food for thought. Of course the democrats stick together and all are blaming Trump for the border crisis. They wouldn’t give him the money to build the wall, which was working to keep drugs and bad people out. So all the blame lies on the democrats’ shoulders.  What is so pathetic is that over the years, Clinton, Biden, Pelosi, Obama, and numerous other democrats were for the wall until Trump was President. We have them on tape saying that a wall has to be built. I can see the taxes are on their way for “we the people.” They want to punish the rich, but in the end we will be paying higher taxes. God Bless America, and God help us!

~

Wonderful! Texas and Arizona have decided they are going to finish what President Trump started and finish the wall in their states! Arizona hospitals are seeing a huge increase in virus cases – mostly illegal aliens! Surprise, surprise! Finally, people with common sense get a backbone and do what’s needed! Congratulations. Maybe others will follow suit!

~

Biden’s one speech on national TV didn’t fare well with “Fact Check”. They found it to be full of exaggerations and outright lies. Why would anyone expect otherwise? Check it out yourself in case you have doubts.

~

I am so sick and tired of the Biden administration still blaming everything they are failing at on Donald Trump. Trump had the border under control. As soon as the Cartels heard Biden won, they made their move. The drugs are flowing in as well as well-dressed people flowing in. Biden has undone everything good Trump set in place. I feel for the younger children coming over the border but they need to send them all back as well as all the other people. Our country is going downhill fast. All Joe seems to worry about is how to destroy all the good Trump did, just because he and his minions still haven’t accepted that a businessman won fair and square in 2016, which disrupted their corruptness. They are putting fear into people about the climate crisis, they call that a crisis but say the border invasion is not a crisis. Really, come on people – wake up. Now Biden is going to raise our taxes. He already is responsible for the gas prices going up. How can he say that he cares about “we the people?” How can we survive at this rate? You people who voted for Biden have to see by now that we are being turned into a socialist country right under our noses. The $1,400 stimulus some of us are getting will go fast because everything, even at the grocery store, is going up. We, the people, our hands are tied. 

~

I watched Walter’s world last night and Jessie questioned, “Do you think the border crisis was an accident.” The Democrats are trying to turn Texas from a red state to either purple or blue, and if that happens the Democrats will own the Electoral College and never lose a presidential race again. Birthright citizenship, chain migration and amnesty asylum over the years have turned red states to blue. Opening up the border was no accident; it’s an ideal situation for the Democrats. They don’t care if illegals compete with American workers, drive down wages so the taxpayers drain the welfare system, stress out hospitals, schools, and police departments. The goal is permanent political power. A New Mexico cattle rancher was on Jessie’s show and said the illegals are coming over his property (which has been in his family for 100 years) and he worries for his family. The big misconception the public doesn’t hear is it’s not just the physical barrier, there is going to be new improved all weather access roads and censor packages lining integrated camera towers to assist the border control and help keep him and any other ranchers living there safe. Whoever is making these decisions for Biden is not doing any good for the country. God Bless America and God help us get back to the way it was!

~

I cannot believe that Trump did not vigorously encourage people to wear masks when the pandemic started and people were dying. If his base had listened to him, there would have been less spread of the virus and less death. That was as low as a president could get in my view. That was one of the worst moves he could have done in a lifetime. It’s not humane.

~

These comments about sending the stimulus checks back really make me laugh. There’s no reason to send back your stimulus. It’s only the balance of the money that President Trump wanted you to have way back in December; but I guess, because it comes from a democrat, we’re all supposed to jump for joy. They’re just following what Trump started because they want your vote. We need to face the facts. They are only in it for the votes and they had the power grab going on, so keep your stimulus, it’s what President Trump wanted you to have. 

~

It’s too bad those people who tuned in to watch Cuomo from other states didn’t realize they were being told a pack of lies. They wasted their time, which is why as soon as that man came on the TV I turned him off. Governor Cuomo fooled you all. You wasted your time. All he did was tell you lies and what you wanted to hear so he looked like he knew what he was doing, and he was king of everything. Well, pretty soon he will be out of the office and hopefully will never be in the political arena again. The man deserves to retire with the Clinton’s, Comey and all the other crooks, and just sit on their back porch and let a republican run the country and the states.

~

Have all of you republicans got your hand out for that nice big check that President Biden and the democrats got passed for you people? Now give him some respect for what he promised to do and did.

~

Yes, I am a republican and yes, I do support all of the senate and all of the house republicans that voted against the stimulus package. And no, I will not be giving my check of $1,400 back. Yet I will next year when I pay taxes, because I pay every year just like I did when I had children. I paid to have two children. I didn’t have four children or six children or nine children. I had two children because that’s how many I could afford, that’s how many I brought into this country that I planned on supporting. I did not plan on having you support my kids. 

~

Newsflash! Biden has caused an illegal immigrant invasion crisis on the Mexican border. This has also increased drug smuggling and increased COVID positive cases being imported into the U.S. because of Biden’s open border policy. So much for our puppet president politics.

~

I’m another one who’s leaving the Republican Party. They are disgusting! Hillary Clinton was right – they are deplorable. When it gets to the point when attacking our own Capitol Building is not a big deal, just overlook that fact. Now they want to screw with our vote. You idiots aren’t going to take it from me. I’ll go democrat and my vote will count.

~

Make sure you get your vaccine as soon as possible so we can get our world back together. We can see our friends and family and loved ones and those that are at greater risk. If you’re a supporter of the former administration and think getting a vaccine will be against him, you’d be wrong. He and his wife got their vaccine in secret before they left the White House. The reason he didn’t tell you this is because he doesn’t care about you. He didn’t want you to get it because he wants division amongst the country. Support a president who loves the country, one that wants to move forward and is doing something every day to keep us going in the right direction. 

~

The reason the republicans voted this ridiculous stimulus bill down is because there was too much in it that has nothing to do with COVID. Divide that much money into the number of legal American citizens and each would get a bundle. Now that’s what the Republican Party calls helping the struggling legal citizens. Support is going to be too much debt and we’re going to end up with higher taxes. Biden ran on higher taxes, so thank you again Biden voters. I can only hope you are a multimillionaire and you can afford this administration. I, for one, cannot, and a lousy $1,400 stimulus that I’m supposed to be over the moon with. 

~

It’s official! United States Intelligence agencies report that people attacking Biden are Russians stooges. Think of that, you people attacking Biden. The U.S. Government says Russia is interfering by attacking Biden.

~

Do you know what the former president stands for? It’s called send me the money, not to the GOP. He said that himself; and would you believe people would be dumb enough to send him money? You can’t make this up.

~

The Republican Party shot themselves in the foot again. I’ll never understand them. Why do you guys have got to be so high and mighty; thinking you are better than everybody? It’s no wonder you lose election after election, the house, the senate and the presidency. You guys just don’t get it! You should be including people instead of your little club, and you should be loving people instead of your Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson hatred campaigns. Be good, be American. Quit trying to take our vote away. I served my country for that. What in the hell have you people done?

~

Hot tip of the year! Tired of the Biden / Marxist takeover? Use your $1,400 stimulus and monthly subsidy dollars and get your kids out of left-wing teacher’s union dominated schools and use the money as a school voucher. There are private parochial and home school systems that would welcome your support.

~

Why does Kamala Harris follow Biden around like a long-lost puppy dog? I don’t remember Pence being at Trump’s side every second of the day. She should have other things to do. She should be governing this country instead of making it a mess; but it just makes me laugh every time you see him there, she is waiting in the wings.

~

All you Biden supporters – be sure to put your Biden sign in your yard. That way when all those illegals come across the border they will know where to get food and a place to stay. — Studebaker Hawk 

~

Only in America in 2020 can you get arrested for opening your business but not for looting them. Leftist mentality is killing America. — Momma Gump