Readers’ Column for the week of September 12, 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.

 

To the corporations, I was in a restaurant and a college graduate was my waiter. He said he would have to stay being a waiter because he couldn’t get a job in his field. These young men can’t get a job because jobs require five years’ experience. I know a young man who graduated from SUNY Broome, went on to a college several hours away to finish his degree in mechanical engineering. He drove back to Owego every weekend to work in a fast-food place to support himself. After four years, in May, and ready to graduate, the college said, “Oh no, you don’t have the right courses, you must go another semester.” He finished his degree and owed $20,000. He now drives down to a fast-food place looking over at one of the best corporations one could work for. He flips burgers year after year, and needs five years’ experience in his field. Corporate, what are these young men to do?

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I see in Berkshire they have a new junkyard. I was wondering, aren’t the bylaws in Berkshire you must have a fence up if you have a junkyard to safeguard the community and an eyesore problem? Just asking for a friend.

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Question. Can you get high or whatever marijuana does to you by breathing in second-hand marijuana? Just wondering.

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Remember when people could smoke everywhere? “Oh, it’s my right to be able to smoke here.” It didn’t matter about other people’s lungs, the taste of the food, the health of the employees or whatever. COVID is the same thing. You think you have freedom, but it affects everybody else’s health, environment, the businesses, our economy, and the whole world. Unfortunately we can’t make you just stay outside because you have COVID or have decided not to be vaccinated. I personally think you should have to show vaccine status to get in anywhere to protect those who are doing the right thing, just like smokers are not allowed to just walk in anywhere and start smoking whatever they want. 

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Here’s some things I’ve observed at the Tioga Cemetery in Owego. First of all, there are potholes in the road and yet there’s been a big pile of gravel there since spring. Why don’t they shovel it into those holes? Secondly, there’s been little or no weed eating. We’ve done our own weed eating because stones have gotten so covered with grass. I think they need to have better care of the cemetery than this and somebody needs to be checking on it. 

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Question for the Town of Owego people. What is being built over by the new Town Of Owego building?

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To the Village of Owego mayor, etc., isn’t there an ordinance in the village about run down homes? I would like to know the answer to that. 

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I would like to respond to the person who wrote about rights and the vaccine. People who choose not to receive the vaccine, that’s their right; but the ones that did get the vaccine, that’s also their right. So don’t come into grocery stores, restaurants, or public places where you could infect others if you don’t have your shots, and then say I respect your rights. What rights are you respecting? You are telling people who don’t have shots they should never be allowed to go in public places because they might infect you? In case you didn’t know it, hundreds of people have gotten COVID who have had both of their shots. I happen to be one of them. I wasn’t as sick; I didn’t die, but you can still get it whether you have a shot or not. 

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I knew this was going to happen. People adopting dogs during the pandemic who were working from home and now returning to work and can’t be bothered with their pet. The dog has served its purpose and is now back at the shelter, hoping once again to find his forever home. What a sad situation for these homeless animals. Their owners should be ashamed of themselves.

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Why is it that a passenger in a vehicle gets charged with what is in the car when it isn’t theirs. Is it New York State law that if no one claims the drug, everyone in the car gets charged; or is the law different here in Tioga County? Is it because of addiction problems that the county wants to send people to jail or prison instead of giving them help at a rehab? In prison it’s easier to get drugs and to get addicted to drugs, making your addiction stronger; or you can become hooked on drugs. So maybe the county should help addicts instead of trying to put people behind bars or in certain categories because of their history in life. Big Rooster

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You could pick up more people speeding on Marshland Road in Apalachin than you can on Route 434.

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In Europe the teachers unions and taxpayers work toward the common objective of “to educate”. In New York State all objectives of the teacher’s union are 100% opposite that of the interests of students and taxpayers. The words “to educate” do not even appear in the 15,673 words of the OACSD teachers’ union contract. Why does the OACSD Board of Education collect union dues when our teacher’s union won’t even agree to educate? Is it any surprise American public education once was number one in the world and is now only mediocre? 

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Unless you are a hermit, on any given day these diseases are active and you can be exposed via droplets breathed in: Flu (all its variants), rotavirus, adenovirus, tuberculosis, SARS, enterovirus, rhinovirus, strep, and Legionnaires disease. People have not been locked down in their homes nor have they shuttered businesses or schools. All have received medical protocols to deal with them, yet they have never gone away. COVID will become “another” one on the list. The protocol will improve and be enhanced as it mutates, much like the newest formula each season for the Flu. But the public needs to also become more proactive in taking personal care to stay healthy in order to be less susceptible and become a spreader. Just as you have learned to live with these other recognized “germ” spreaders, so we will with this one. Life goes on. 

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On Lake Street there was a place that did painting lessons and also made custom frames. They are no longer there, and now there is a hemp place. The owners of the hemp place told us that they moved to Apalachin. Can anyone help me get in touch with the painting and frame folks? Leave any information in this column. 

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I live right off of 38 in Berkshire and I constantly have to avoid cars, trucks, and junk being parked halfway in my road. If they got rid of junk they would have room to pull in and get off the road. Can anything be done about this?

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What an amazing lack of history knowledge and empathy in this column. People are complaining about the New York City area getting aid after the Ida floods, and are forgetting about all the federal (FEMA) and New York State disaster aid our area got after the 2011 flood. Incomprehensible.

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A group was marching 13 miles to honor 13 service personnel killed in Afghanistan. While I admire their basic intent, please tell them they have another 2,487 miles to go to honor all those killed.

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In the Playbills for the OFA Musicals from 2000 and 2001, several students referred to performing in a play titled “The Toy Shop”. Apparently done in 1998 or 1999. If anyone has any information (dates / program / photos) we’d appreciate it if you could send it to OAStage13827@gmail.com. Thanks from the History Keeper at www.Facebook.com/OAStage.

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Is there some way to give money to flood victims without using your name and address, which will end up on everyone’s mailing list.

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To the person complaining about teachers having masters’ degrees. A little bit of research would show you that in New York State teachers are required to obtain a masters degree. 

National Political Viewpoints

About the new Texas abortion law that Governor Abbot is passing; there are no words for it. Abbot is not a woman, and he doesn’t know why some women have no choice but to have an abortion. So many children will suffer from being born to some of the mothers. Also, women will go to back allies for an abortion, and some die. Men should not discuss it. It’s not their body.

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Isn’t it just like a democrat – take what a republican says as your own and turn it around. 

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Who needs communists when you have democrats to pull America down? 

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The Taliban now has more Black Hawk helicopters in Australia. Thanks Joe Biden. 

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Well, we got rid of Cuomo. Can we do the same with Biden? Let’s get rid of him! 

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For all you ignorant people out there that voted for Joe; that includes the dead people and the phony mail-in ballot people. We told you so. He has done nothing right.

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So now the communist news network, CNN, head of propaganda Don Lemon says we don’t know if any Americans were left as hostages in Afghanistan. I suggest we send this Lemon to Kabul to investigate that statement. He would be very welcome there, I’m sure.

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How many regulations, local laws, state laws and federal laws can we be held accountable for? It’s in the millions, and who is going to count that high before they give up? Millions of these laws we are subject to. How do you stop them?

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All you sanctimonious anti-abortion people out there should realize we are being overpopulated and you’ve got millions of people coming across the border, they are going to get pregnant, and we are going to have millions of more people and your taxes are going to go up to support them. Your taxes will go up, and up, and up! 

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This is directed to people who want Biden’s resignation after 13 marines were killed recently. Yes, that is terrible. However, in 1983 under Reagan, a republican, 200 marines were killed in Lebanon, Beirut and nobody called for Reagan’s resignation at that point. Let’s ban together like we did in 1983.

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Has anyone noticed that when we have a democratic president in the White House it is hard to find ammunition in the stores for sale? I heard it is put in a big warehouse and just stored there. This happened with the Obama administration also.

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All you Biden voters, I hope you’ve got calluses on your knees from praying because prayer is about the only thing that’s going to help us now after that mess that Biden has got us into. 

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Famous last words from Biden “We will not leave one American in Afghanistan.” His buddy Schumer said, “All Americans who wanted to leave have been evacuated from Afghanistan.” Now Joe and his comrades are desperately trying to change the subject from Afghanistan to anything else. Don’t look now Joe, but many who survived 9-11 are telling you not to attend ANY, that’s ANY of the 9-11 ceremonies. The buck stops somewhere else, Biden.

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As I was driving around lately and I noticed a sign in someone’s yard that spouted reasons to not hold elections. Really? Do you truly not want democracy in this country?

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A lot of Democrats complain about Fox News. But the Fox News shows that I watch are all filled with joking, laughter, and smiles. On the other hand, on MSNBC and CNN you have grim, long, angry faces. Why do you watch that? Sadly you will never be happy, even If you get ALL the changes you think you want. Try being like the Republicans; feel blessed with what you have!

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What a very sad week this is that we are commemorating 20 years since 9-11, when thousands were murdered and the New York City police, firefighters, and men and women first responders were killed or maimed for life. It is hard to believe that Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Senator Bobby Kennedy of New York State, received his parole at the end of August. 

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This weekend marks 20 years since 9/11. On that day, Americans went about their business; confident they were safe in their own country; confident that their elected officials, paid with their tax dollars, were doing, faithfully, their #1 job of keeping them safe. Approximately 3,000 American citizens died on that day going to work, or taking a domestic flight. Ordinary folks on one of those flights sacrificed their own life to save others, some of who were the very people that failed to protect them that day. Many who died were first responders, including police; giving their own lives to try to rescue as many as possible, no matter what race, skin color, religion, etc. NEVER FORGET!

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Trump agreed to exit Afghanistan by May 1. Biden delayed it to Aug. 31. Yet the true believers think it was Biden that was hasty. Amazing!

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2,500 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan. Bush sent them there. Trump demanded withdrawal in his campaign, but waited four years to do it. The folks screaming that it’s Biden’s fault are history knowledge deprived.

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Getting vaccinated will not “tick off” the liberals. They want you to get vaccinated and are ticked off that you refuse.