Readers’ Column for the week of October 10, 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.

 

Would the person that purchased a desk at our yard sale please contact us at (607) 565-4420?

~

Has anybody noticed there is a lack of squirrels around? I haven’t seen a squirrel once this year. Someone said something about hawks getting them. Has anyone seen any squirrels around lately?

~

I think there are only two lanes going into Sweeney’s Market. When you are trying to turn in there everybody is so impatient that they have to make a lane that’s not even there! Take a break and relax.

~

I’m just wondering why the deeds haven’t been posted the last couple weeks. A lot of us are missing them.

~

This is to the person that wanted to know about furniture reupholstery. My number is (607) 239-3973. Also, there is Roger Neal in Campville at (607) 785-0691, Allen’s in Endicott at (607) 748-1167, and Jim’s in Owego at (607) 687-2485. 

~

I have the number for a wonderful seamstress; I have used her and she is very good and lives near Tioga Gardens. Her name is Jean at 687-2069. She does very nice work.

~

The price of diapers going up, imagine the people that had the baby and can’t even wash diapers. Look at all the money and the diapers in the ocean, and all someone can complain about is their expectation of free diapers from Tioga County. Think about it. 

~

What an inspiring event at last weekend’s Apple Festival in Newark Valley. I was totally impressed! Hats off, hands down! The best. 

~

Is there anyone in the Owego area that would paint some porch furniture? I have a porch swing that needs painting. I would even furnish the paint. If there is anyone, please respond to this column.

~

Now that Taylor’s is closing the garbage drop offs on Saturday, what’s everybody else supposed to do? Tioga County ought to be proud of what they’ve done to the people. Is somebody getting a kickback on this or what is going on here, because this is getting ridiculous? It’s like getting another tax. Welcome and thank you Republicans.

~

I lost a walking cane; I think it was in front of Walgreens and by the farmer’s market. I’m wondering if they could check it for me. My number is (607) 687-5575; I’d appreciate it.

~

I am disappointed at how thoughtless and ignorant people can be. Trash and recycle cans need to be placed facing the correct way in order for the trucks to pick them up! There are arrows on the lid! The metal bar / lid opening needs to face the street! It’s not rocket science. Also, who in their right mind would park in the street in front of or near trash cans after they’ve been placed out for collection? Are you trying to get your car damaged? Purposely hold up the collection process? Wow! Scary!

~

There have been VOLUNTEERS, spending their own time, money, and wear and tear on their own equipment (plus fuel) to try to make the flooded area in the Water Street, Canal, and West Front Street area an environmentally friendly habitat for native plants and wildlife. Lately some lazy, filthy individuals have been throwing their fast food wrappers out into the road. You know who you are, and you are being lazy and disrespectful. There are municipal trash cans all over the village or at Price Chopper for your food and garbage.

~

There was a pretty dumb statement in a local paper – ‘5 things Yankees must do to beat Red Sox’. Everyone but the sportswriters know that the Yankees must score more runs than the Red Sox to win the game. Just like any other game.

~

I do reupholstering and live in the Owego area. Contact Jim at (607) 727-4476 for more information.

~

Does anyone have information on someone who does doll repair? An elderly woman at Longview in Ithaca is looking for someone to repair a doll that she would like to leave to a granddaughter. 

~

I study local governments, mainly Towns without Zoning laws and how they govern. I have noticed that these Towns ignore the basics, but they want the benefit of zoning and then don’t follow due process. A Town Board member cannot serve on a Board of Appeals, so I must conclude that the Spencer Town Board cannot grant an area variance as a Board of appeals. Has anyone else noticed this?

~

I am so tired of reading the almost weekly bashing of Owego teachers and the Board of Education. I do not believe our teachers are the highest paid in this area, and so I did a little research on salary.com. The average starting teaching salary as of September 2021 in Owego is $43,000, with a range from $37,000 to $49,000. In Binghamton the reported average starting teaching salary as of September 2021 is $57,000, with the range being reported as $50,000 to $66,000. Our teachers are wonderful. Perhaps you could spend a day in a classroom to see all that teachers do on a daily basis. They are true heroes, and I thank each and every one of them!

~

I have found what looks like a suit coat lapel pin inscribed with ‘DEXTER” and an ’18. It is too worn to be 2018. If you think it is yours, please answer in this column.

~

I see the tax foreclosure auction is about to take place; but yet there are many homes that should be going up this year that aren’t. Everyone wants to blame everyone else for particular properties not being sold. Why aren’t they being required to uphold the same “zombie” property rules that the banking Industry has too? It would seem they should be just as responsible as a bank or credit union. Not only are many of these properties a health and safety hazard to the surrounding properties, but also a nuisance. They draw cats, varmints, and trespassers. At the end of the day, why should a local municipality hold an average homeowner who’s paying their taxes and bills more accountable than the county or other groups. These properties are eyesores and need to be addressed immediately, or throw the NYS codebook out and ignore everything. I have no time for double standards.

 

National Political Viewpoints

How is it that 50 or 100 people in Washington and our legislators can vote to increase our debt payment and are spending money on all sorts of different things without our vote? They vote for it among themselves but we didn’t vote for that, and we are paying for it. Get those people out of there! Next election, don’t reelect anybody. We need new people there.

~

Why does the American voter always pick ignorant and incompetent people for president? It’s a long chain of bad presidents. Is it going to continue? If it continues will you vote by party instead of by intelligence or accomplishments? It’s not good. 

~

This really bothers me. It doesn’t matter what party you are in, but how can you vote on a bill that hasn’t been written yet? That’s just about the most stupid thing I have ever heard! That’s what they did with Obamacare and look what disaster that turned into. Please people, write a bill and let everybody read it. And only deal with what you are supposed to deal with, like infrastructure, not all this other crap.

~

How can one totally dishonest lying garbage talker destroy a country as quick as Trump has? Him and Fox News and Tucker Carlson ought to be arrested, locked up, or sent to another country and put in prison. This is ridiculous listening to that on Fox News every night.

~

What a surprise, Biden is heading to Delaware for a vacation this week and the country is in shambles. No surprise there! This man is going over his head. Next year can’t get here quick enough. 

~

Unfortunately this column has someone watching CNN fake news. There is absolutely no truth that Republicans want to stop social security checks. Those checks will be issued as always. Stop falling for more democratic fake news lies and your life will be better for it.

~

People are making fun of President Biden riding a bike. Maybe if Trump rode a bike like Biden does he would be in better shape. So stop making fun of Biden and everything he does. Make fun of what Trump didn’t do for us.

~

I heard that Mr. Louis Dejoy, our postmaster general who is a millionaire, stated the mail would be slower and pricier. He is setting the stage for privatization. I wish President Biden could get him out of there. Trump put him in and the post office service went down ever since.

~

Why should I pay for anybody else’s child care and everybody else’s junior college? You democrats are ridiculous. How about you start paying for your own stuff? 

~

Trump news. The debt ceiling the GOP is trying to pass on to the democrats represents the $6.8 billion tab that ex-president Donald Trump ran up. Give me a break.

~

I’ll say one thing about that “clown” we had before, at least he cared about the American people. This clown we have now does not.

~

Last week in your column someone complained about PBS programming not being honest. In my opinion, PBS and NPR are very honest news. I listen to NPR every day and most of the night. You don’t hear the yelling, belittling, constant complaining or the lying like you do on the daytime radio news shows. NPR is such a pleasure to listen to. It’s on every day, all day, seven days a week, and we need smart, honest, good news programming to calm everyone down.

~

I have one thing to say, Biden has to go, Biden has to go, Biden has to go.

~

Where our government is concerned, there is nothing more permanent than a temporary injunction.

~

I am concerned about this extravagant repulsive wealth that has grown all around us. I am concerned about the inequity. It’s not fair and it is corrupt for some people to have so much when so many, even if they never learned how to work, have to live off the government and others. My solution would be for the government to tax all wealth over 1 million dollars. The government should just take it all, because nobody should have more than a million. Who needs more than that? If the government would do that then the schools wouldn’t have to charge such high school taxes, and even multi-million-dollar houses would come down in price because no one would be able to have more than a million to pay that much for them. The free market would then take care of the situation. These ultra-millionaires and billionaires would still be able to eat expensive food and drink their fancy bottled wine because a million is a lot to have. 

~

Well, to all of you looking for reasons that Joe Biden is more qualified than Trump, here’s one – he takes responsibility for his actions. He says that the buck stops with him. Yes, his rating is down, and some actions have not worked out, but he says to blame no one else. What a concept! Now, Trump is infamous for blaming others and often saying things are not his fault (even if they are). Come on, you really think Trump and all of his lies are worth it?  Well, I guess that is where we part ways, as I am not willing to give up the control of my party to a person such as this. #proud to be a Never Trumper.

~

Today, the Washington Post broke the story that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) obtained more than 11.9 million financial records including emails, spreadsheets, contracts, and so on, that reveal a vast international network of financial schemes to hide money from taxation, investigators, creditors, and citizens. The trove is named the Pandora Papers, after the Greek myth of Pandora, who opened a container and released a host of evils upon the world. The Internet and a global economy have permitted the rise of a global elite that, as the Pandora Papers reveal, often overlaps with criminality. In January 2011, when he was the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert S. Mueller III gave a landmark speech in which he explained how globalization and technology had created “iron triangles” of “organized criminals, corrupt government officials, and business leaders” who were “motivated by money, not ideology.” — Heather Cox Richardson. Oct. 3, 2021

~

“In contrast, though, Congress spends very little time discussing the defense budget, which, at its current rate, would cost $7.78 trillion over the next ten years. That amount is significantly higher than the defense spending of any other nation in the world. In 2020 the U.S. spent $778 billion on defense, making up 39% of our overall spending. China, the country with the next highest defense budget, spent 13% of its overall spending on defense at $252 billion, India spent 3.7% at $72.9 billion, Russia spent 3.1% at $61.7 billion, and the United Kingdom spent 3% at $59.2 billion.” — Heather Cox Richardson. Sept. 30, 2021

~

Read section 7 of chapter 30 of Stephen King’s 11/22/63. Bad air from overloaded electric vehicles; a revert back to horses for the general populace; former libraries being used for hate meetings; young people nightly “wilding” unchecked, terrorizing the weak and elderly; needing papers giving permission to be out to visit relatives; electricity available only three days a week. This is a fictional 2011, but sounds like reality here very soon if the liberals continue with their idiotic policies.