Readers’ Column for the week of April 3, 2022

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.

 

I would like information on a bus trip to Sight & Sound. When is it going, and how much will it cost plus a contact number? Please leave information in this column. Thank you!

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All you busy bodies who keep worrying about your neighbor’s property ought to leave people alone that are less fortunate than you are. As far as the Devil’s Elbow goes, I’ve known for years that that thing is too dangerous to go near it because the least little bump is going to knock the whole thing into the river below, and I wouldn’t want to be in it when that happens.

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Someone a week or so ago said they would like information about contacting the Better Business Bureau. I found something in an old phone directory I had, which might be accurate. The address is 55 St. Paul St., Rochester, N.Y. 14604. The phone number I have is 1-800-828-5000. 

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This message is to the valley. I’m wondering when they are going to get around to fix these foxholes in the road. You can’t call them potholes because they are too deep; they’re bigger than some of the foxholes I saw in Vietnam. I wish they would do something before a car is lost to them.

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All situations where we want participants to express their opinion should be by secret ballot. Their opinions would still be counted, but would be kept secret so they would not subject other people to criticism with their choices.

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We might have fewer taxes if they were required to explain them and be voted on by the public.

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Someone wanted to know about a phonebook. I have a number, 1-800-888-8448. There is another for Frontier, 1-800-900-7524. The AT&T Directory Resource Center number is 1-866-329-7118; they talk of delivering to your home. You can also get them digitally and online. I hope either of these numbers work. 

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A question for the Tioga County Legislature; why under resolution 108-22, after the personnel director retired, a week later you rehired her at $150 an hour, 15 hours a week from now until 2028? That’s $675,000 over six years. Is one person worth that? Yet, you don’t allow a raise for the Deputies Association Corrections Union or CSUA. Get with it, county!

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I believe that the Town of Owego has the highest paid councilman job in New York State. The wage is very high, plus they pay full benefits at about $25,000 to $28,000 a year. What a great deal for those town councilman positions and town board members to receive a salary, plus full benefits. It seems a little unreasonable to me. At any rate, the Mayor of Owego is paid $5,000 with no benefits; $25,000 plus about $8,500 a year, town board! 

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Sad day for Apalachin to hear that the Apalachin Pharmacy has closed its doors. There are loyal customers who have been using their pharmacy since the day they first opened their doors in 1958. Jay and your staff will be missed. Best of luck to all!

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Does anyone know how people with electric cars help pay for the upkeep of our roads and bridges? I know the rest of us who can’t afford an electric car are taxed with a road tax every time we fill up our gas and diesel vehicles. Also, who pays for the disposal of the solar panels and windmill blades that produce the power to recharge the batteries when they quit working? By the way, do they never deteriorate? You would think that “intelligent” people would find the solution to these problems before they implemented the big push to eliminate gas and diesel that we need to power cars, trucks and farm equipment; and also don’t forget airplanes and ships; especially the ones that protect our country and our free society, which we seem to be losing both.

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The New York State Consumer Credit Fairness act of 2021 will go into effect May 7, 2022, which will reduce the statute of limitations for consumer debt collections from six years to just three years, with the exception of the statute of limitations provisions on existing collections. Consumers are cautioned that on April 7, if a payment on a debt that is too old for a lawsuit, the payment may renew the creditor’s ability to sue them for the full amount of the old debt. Consumers who are having questions or these experiences with debt collectors can file complaints online or call the Office of the Attorney General’s consumer helpline at 1-800-771-7755.

National Political Viewpoints

Why do so many people think having Biden resign would fix all their perceived problems? Do they not know that his resignation would make Harris the president? Do they somehow think it would bring Trump back? What is their rationale?

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So it appears that the woman that the democrats are nominating for the Supreme Court cares more about the rights of the criminals than the rights of the victims. It’s not supposed to work that way, democrats. Stop worrying about the sensitivities of the criminals.

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I don’t know what the election next fall is going to bring. The democrats are just going to cheat and steal to get back in like they did before. 

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Dr. Fauci is a lying democrat, and he needs to be in jail for inventing the COVID disease to kill off two thirds of the earth’s population. Why hasn’t it been done yet? Because he’s protected.

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Newsflash. Hunter Biden is about to be indicted by the grand jury for his “pay to play” operations, which netted the Biden team over $30 million from Russia, Ukraine, and China. Hunter paid most of Joe Biden’s bills, and the big guy was happy with that deal. Will Joe now pardon his son? I just can’t wait for the conservatives to take over in November, and then we will see the real extent of the Biden family crime spree that netted them the presidency thanks to the democratic voters.

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Those who warn you about rising sea levels are buying beachfront property. Those who warn you about COVID are throwing parties and taking vacations. Those who tell you giving up your guns will make you safe are hiring armed security. Do you get it yet? Mama Gump.

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The best thing Biden could do is to appoint Donald Trump in charge of U.S. affairs with the Ukrainian crisis. He goes to Europe and can’t even answer a serious question and answer session with reporters. He answers two or three questions and just walks away. Joe’s handlers should seriously consider having Joe step aside and Trump will definitely help Ukraine win the war with Russia.

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A simple letter from the U.S. postal service now takes up to 21 days and counting. How many of our absentee ballots will be worthless because they won’t be delivered on time? 

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To all you Biden supporters, the ones that are actually alive or the ones that actually exist, have you had enough? I just watched him in Poland give a speech. The world has to be laughing at our country after watching him. It’s not even funny anymore. It’s just so sad and pathetic. Something has to be done.

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If Russia lost 15,000 soldiers in one month, at this rate in four months they’ll lose more troops than we did in 13 years in Vietnam. What a world.

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Here is a summary of Biden’s address in Poland. All talk and no action. Biden should quit stalling and stop blocking the Polish from giving those Migs to Ukrainians, who can win this war. So what is Biden’s new world order he keeps talking about? How about Biden sending 20,000 troops to secure our southern border? No more open borders, period!

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President Biden is in Poland lifting up a little girl and she has no mask on and he has no mask on. What’s this all about? Does he break his own rules? 

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The best description of the build back better plan is that we have to pass it to find out what’s in it, which is an exact definition of a stool sample. Remember this, the difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. Mama Gump

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In the March 13 column, I read that a fan of Tucker Carlson had “never heard him praise Putin.” This was quite a strange remark. This is taken from a Mother Jones article, “Leaked Kremlin Memo to Russian Media: It Is ‘Essential’ to Feature Tucker Carlson.” (March 13, 2022) “It is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticizes the actions of the United States [and] NATO, their negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine, [and] the defiantly provocative behavior from the leadership of the Western countries and NATO towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin, personally,” advises the 12-page document written in Russian. It sums up Carlson’s position, “Russia is only protecting its interests and security.” The memo includes a quote from Carlson: “And how would the US behave if such a situation developed in neighboring Mexico or Canada?” This is from a Huffpost article dated March 31, 2022; “Carlson, meanwhile, has been a favorite of Russian propagandists for weeks. The Fox News host has repeatedly been featured on Russian state-sponsored television for his defense of Russia and criticisms of the U.S., NATO and Ukraine, and was even reportedly endorsed by the Kremlin in a leaked memo to state media.” Fake News? I don’t think so.

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I think everyone hates what Putin is doing in Ukraine. I also think everybody looks at Zelenskyy as a hero as I did. But now I understand he is stealing money from Ukrainians. So much for heroes. He is begging for help from outsiders. Why should we pay? Why wasn’t Ukraine better prepared for an invasion? In 2014 Crimea was invaded and taken away from Ukraine by Russia. And why didn’t you join NATO? As I understand you were too corrupt and not democratic enough. I feel sorry for the awful things that are happening to Ukrainian people, but they, and we, need better-elected officials!

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It’s time for Harry Wilson to tell us how he will give us better services for less money (lower taxes).

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All of these headlines were on the same day, March 30, 2022.Yahoo news: Biden pleads for funds to fight next COVID surge ‘before it’s too late’; AP: WHO says COVID deaths have jumped by 40%. But then there was this – Reuters: U.S. to end COVID era blocking of migrants at Mexico border. Okay my democratic friends; please explain why, when your President and WHO continue to be in a panic over COVID, we end any blocking of the 7,000-plus migrants surging over our southern border daily. This is one reason why anyone in his or her right mind is distrustful of the current administration. Bananas!

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I see where Trump is asking Putin for dirt on Hunter Biden. I wonder if he knows there’s a war going on?

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President Trump’s four years in office did not have anything to do with what Biden is doing today. President Trump was GOOD for this country – he ran it like a business, which it is. Businesses don’t GIVE things away. There’s a cost of doing business. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

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Okay, Biden fans. You need to remove your blinders! He and his administration are good at running – running their mouths, and running our country into the ground!

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Twisted world where we are spending taxpayer funds to track down someone who happened to be walking past the Capitol on Jan. 6 on the way to the metro station, a restaurant, whatever; while for years scammers are allowed to steal legitimate phone numbers to come up on caller ID so the naive pick up and possibly end up having their life savings stolen. Wow!

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In response to the person who wrote last week saying Ukraine wouldn’t be in this war if Trump were president. You’re absolutely correct, Trump would have held up military arms (as he did before), not many sanctions, and cozy up to Putin. Ukrainians would have lost many lives, destroyed their country, and Putin would have taken over. Way to go Trump! 

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Will someone please tell Harry Wilson there are no lockdowns to stop?

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Thoughts from Cousin R**; God help us if autocorrect gains control of our nuclear weapons!

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When I became eligible to register to vote, LBJ was president. As he was responsible for sending close to 200, 000 troops to Vietnam (nearly 60,000 American innocents drafted, ended up dead), many of my high school classmates, I knew I could not register with his party. To this day, the outright hypocrisy of the democrats is increasingly astounding. Most recently, we have a person nominated to the U. S. Supreme Court by our current president, who freely admits they were chosen because of their race and sex (talk about discrimination, prejudice, bias); however, this person does not know the definition of “woman”. How do we expect equality for women, celebrate women’s history month (nationally), etc., if there are no “women”? Nancy Pelosi, who wants the majority of taxpayers, many of whom have chosen to live places other than cities (cue the theme song from “Green Acres”), to drive unaffordable EV’s using what will surely become unaffordable and available electric power, merrily jets herself all over the world, including her home in California where her freezer full of overpriced ice cream awaits. With Marie Antoinette it was cake. Wow!

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To the person who commented in the March 27 column, quoting U.S. Constitution Article VI; no, Senator Graham should not be bringing up religion during the confirmation hearings for Judge Jackson, just as innumerable democrats should not have endlessly attacked Amy Coney Barrett for being a Catholic. Turnabout is fair play, as the saying goes. Also, none are so blind as those who will not see.

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Nothing displays Biden’s incompetence better than his complete idiotic energy policy. He now intends to draw millions and millions from the Nation’s Strategic Fuel Reserves to help lower gas prices, which be negligible at the pump price. The strategic reserves are solely intended to be insurance that the nation has some fuel in the event of a major disaster, like War. At the same time he is begging to get oil from terrorist countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. He has reversed the course where we were independent on having our own fuel, which we produce more efficiently and safely than any of the other nations mentioned. Putin must enjoy knowing we may need Russia for fuel.