Readers’ Column for the week of June 19, 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.

Missing – my black dog with collar has been missing since June 8 in the Glenmary Drive Owego area. If you have seen this dog, please call (607) 687-1512.

 

This is to the people running around with the sign, “I am not free if you control my womb”. In New York State you are never free. Look at the seat belt, it should be your choice, but they make too much money on it. Anything they can make money on they will nail you. There is no freedom in New York State. 

~

Bring back the death penalty nationwide! You’re going to see more screwballs killing kindergarteners, first grade and second graders. I’d rather see the death of one evil wicked person than 20 some children for God’s sake! It’s not a revenge thing or blood thirsty, it’s called justice. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, like the bible.

~

Can anyone tell me what the yearly income is of the federal poverty guidelines in Tioga County?

~

I have an older style TV that I would like to give away. You will have to come and get it if you want it. My number is (607) 372-5632.

~

Does anyone know how I could reach Greg Zyla other than on the Internet? I don’t have a computer. I would like to tell him Jimmy Olsen in the Superman series did not drive a Nash Metropolitan.

~

As I understand, Social Security was for the workers who paid into it. The amount paid into the system determines the amount the recipient receives. There are a lot of seniors still working into their 80’s. I know of a 91 year old still working and probably collecting the Social Security due her by law. The reason Social Security is running out, is the money was stolen to pay for what, I’m not sure. So hate the old people for living to get old. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t.

~

How does one go about getting an energy audit? The electric company used to do it for free.

~

I was visiting some friends in the Dean Street Senior Apartments and when I pulled out of the driveway I could barely see if anyone was coming up the hill on the right hand side. Is there any agency or somebody that could trim those trees back because it’s an accident looking for a place to happen?

~

I am looking for a sewing machine for my friend in working condition or less. Please leave your number in this column.

~

We that are living on limited incomes, and with winter coming around again in December, have some serious choices to make. Do we fill our 200-plus gallon fuel tank at $6.25 per gallon, something that has to be done more than one time during the winter; and if so, I have already spent my total monthly income. How will we buy food, pay bills, buy medicine, put gas in the car, etc.? How do I live on nothing? 

~

Why is Tioga County using new Dominion voting machines? We do not want these machines in this county. We want to go back to a paper ballot. 

~

Free Stuff: I have eight Knotty-Pine kitchen cabinet doors, plus some associated molding. I also have eight clean five-gallon plastic pails. Will deliver. Call (607) 687-4674 or text (607) 321-8210.

~

I believe in America and the decency and spirit of its citizens. I believe that we the people and the government should help the disadvantaged with the basic necessities to sustain life, regardless of the circumstances that put the disadvantaged in their circumstance. The last I knew the basic necessities were food, clothing and shelter; these three things will sustain life and keep people safe. I just received the latest copy of the AARP magazine and read that the poor and disadvantaged will be receiving, at no charge to them, free Internet service. That is not a necessity nor is it free. I’m paying for it as well as all the other people who pay a high price tag for their Internet service. This is nonsense and it appears that this could be just the beginning. I am far from being well off, but worked long and hard, including early mornings, evenings and nights away from home. I did this to be able to afford and pay for food, clothing, and shelter. If there was anything left, then and only then would I consider Internet service as it is not a must have. I feel like a fool.

~

Thank you to all those who supported the Friends of Coburn Library’s Book Sale held last weekend. The funds raised will help in our mission to assist the library in its service to our community.

~

Quick question, what is the purpose of a “Nature Preserve”? If you said, “To Preserve Nature,” you would be right. Preserving nature means leaving something in its natural state. The so-called “Canawanna Nature Preserve” is a very bad joke if it is supposed to represent leaving a place in a natural state. Mowing the grass so short that ants have trouble finding shade is the absolute opposite of preserving nature. You might as well put a sidewalk through it and some benches and call it what it actually is, a PARK. Otherwise, if it is supposed to be a Nature Preserve (that’s what the sign says anyway), lay off the mowing, maybe throw some flower seeds around in a random distribution and then LET IT BE. Dried out soil and sun-bleached grass so short that you could use it as a putting green is not a nature preserve. Save the time and money it takes to keep the Canawanna Nature Preserve looking like Draper Park’s stepchild. Or call it a Park. It is neither at the moment. Whoever is responsible for it should learn what a nature preserve is really supposed to be.

~

A big thanks to the Town of Candor Highway Department for mowing the road shoulders on Catatonk Hill Road, we can now see on the corners. Now I ask that you finish the job by mowing the rest of the road from Ott Road to Eiklor Road. The wild parsnips are going to seed, and if the mowing is not done soon they will spread and there will be more of them.

 

National Political Viewpoint

There’s one good thing I can say about Biden, nothing. 

~

A gallon of gasoline in Russia is $3 a gallon right now.

~

Another good laugh is I heard Joe Biden said the media is responsible for his low poll numbers and are not giving him enough credit. Enough credit, for what, ruining the country? If it weren’t for the media protecting you, lying about you and sheltering you, you would have never even gotten elected by fraud. 

~

When is the Jan. 6 committee going to let a republican testify or ask questions or give evidence? Oh, they are not allowed to. Is this America that I’m living in or has it already become a communist country? What a joke, what a sham, another democratic witch-hunt. Stop wasting our taxpayer money. How about investigating the 574 actual riots, crimes, burnings, and murders that went on two summers ago? Can we investigate those? 

~

Newsflash. Thank you Biden voters for putting dumb and dumber in the white house and Ms. Dumber at the fed head who said that inflation would be transitory. Just as I predicted we are facing disaster. And for you democrats, who say Biden is not responsible for the price of gasoline, just go back and see what Biden said about destroying the carbon fuel industry. Now I predict things will get much worse. Look for electrical blackouts this summer. Look for more food and necessity shortages and a tanking stock market. Banks will not raise interest rates in a fair manner because the democrats protect them. 

~

I think Harry Wilson is kind of ‘Trumpy’.

~

I voted democrat for over 50 years. This will be the first year I will be voting republican. My party in Washington disgusts me. They are worthless what they are doing and the state I live in, which is New York, is even worse. The rules and regulations, the policies, the laws with a stroke of a pen. We got rid of tyrant one and in comes tyrant two. She’s signed how many laws so far; it’s not going to end. 

~

Chuck Schumer, for the second time in two years, has physically threatened members of the Supreme Court if they do not vote the way the democrats want. Wow! Is this America? Can you imagine if a republican did that? And hypocrisy lives on. 

~

If running away inflation and not protecting the borders is not enough to impeach Biden, I don’t know what is. 

~

If gas prices are very concerning, upsetting and difficult for you to deal with, you can thank the Republican Party. They refused to investigate and take care of the situation because big oil is gouging the American people, and they’re happy to sit back and watch it happen. The president doesn’t have the effect, congress does. They need to do the inspections and the investigation, but the republicans won’t have it because that’s their paycheck. Big oil and big gun companies, like the NRA and such, pay them.

~

Do you think what the federal or state government spends of our budget really goes to a worthy cause or to some politician’s personal cause? Most of the money spent, supposedly in your name, is not for your benefit. It’s mostly wasted money. Get used to it.

~

Biden wanted gun control. Well, he left thousands and thousands of dollars worth of guns in Afghanistan along with a lot of other really expensive stuff. If we had that, possibly Ukraine could have had them. That man sure knows how to spend money!

~

So the President is blabbing every third day about how the multiple issues we are facing, that get worse every day, are all Putin’s fault. Shouldn’t the mighty U.S.A. be able to thwart this? Shouldn’t there have been a plan or be a current plan to circumvent these dastardly issues supposedly caused by this one person? Are we really this unprepared and ineffective? Is finger pointing supposed to excuse and instill confidence in our current leadership?

~

It is so very sad that so many of those in the Trump Cult still support and defend him! Even as the Jan. 6 Committee’s information is being made public, these folks continue to believe and support this Traitor, Trump. Come on, folks! If he really had nothing to hide, why did he not come forward? Why does he continue to get others not to respond to subpoenas? Could you not respond to a subpoena? Please, do not support the continuous lies of this traitor.

~

So many times in this column I read a comment from a pro-Trumper asking how we could support President Biden. Well, how can you support a traitor President? Look at the facts. Jan. 6, 2021 was an attempt to overthrow our government. It was not peaceful. We never-cult Trumpers were not pleased when he was elected in 2016, but we did not attack the Capitol Building and try to overthrow the government. You continually allow him to get away with everything. Why? Is this really the person you want to hold up as an example to your children and grandchildren?

~

Of no surprise to those who have had experiences visiting or living, if only part-time, in Florida to find an independent research statistical paper on COVID lockdowns due to both Federal and State governments mandates. As posted at City Journal / Manhattan: “In April, free-market economists Phil Kerpen, Stephen Moore and Casey B. Mulligan published a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research entitled, ‘A Final Report Card on the States – Response to COVID-19.’ The results: Locked-down economies did not have better health outcomes, open schools were slightly negatively correlated with health outcomes, and the lockdown of schools and economies were highly correlated. In short, lockdowns hurt the economy, impeded education, and harmed the development of children. Empirical evidence shows these policies to have been unwise. The next time government officials seek to destroy life and livelihood in the name of safety, we should bear these findings in mind.”

~

What kind of bizarre thought process is floating around in the heads of the people that thinks that on Jan. 6 the leftists tried to overturn an election they won?

~

Ask the Biden administration, what are your plans and objectives regarding various problems and at best you will get word salad or “Putin did it.” There are no plans or objectives. Crushing gas prices are by Biden’s regime intent. The U.S. oil market is independent of the global market. Putin can’t affect our market. Besides killing the XL pipeline, Biden created and continues to create disincentives to invest in oil and gas. It takes only eight weeks to drill a fracking well and deliver oil to market. Gas prices now will have to go through the roof before investment flows go back into oil and gas. Look for gas to hit $8.50 per gallon by August. When the starving mass begged for bread at the Palace of Versailles, Maria Antoinette said, “If they have no bread let them eat cake.” Democrats say, “Buy an EV.” No one listened until the French peasants said, “Off with their heads.” Democrats, what can you do with them; can’t teach them math, business, or economics? Will enforced poverty bring social and environmental Justice? You can dilute your children’s milk by adding an equal amount of water.

~

Since 1975, Social Security’s general annual benefit increases have been based on 3rd quarter end Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) rates as measured by the Consumer Price Index. As was determined in October 2021, the current 2022 COLA was determined at 5.9%. If all things continue on into this fall, the 2023 COLA should come in around 8.3 / 8.6%. Also, as of this past week the prediction is the current inflation will take several years to bring COLA back to the 3 percent range and as a result, according to the 2021 annual report from the Social Security board of trustees, Social Security’s cash reserves will be fully depleted by 2034, one year earlier than their 2020 report indicated. Annual taxes are expected to cover only about 78% of the benefits each year after that. As a result, the most recent prediction on distribution of Social Security benefits, auditors say the program by 2035 will not be able to continue funding as we know it now, and the prediction is that within the next 10 to 13 years there will be a need to reduce distributions by 22% to continue the program. (See www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/social-security/what-will-social-security-be-in-2035/.)

~

It’s amazing how many free-market, hands-off, no regulations, economy favoring Republicans are now whining about free-market prices and demanding a hands-on approach.

~

Hunter Biden’s alleged gun felony happened in 2018, on Trump’s watch. The purported felony was lying on the purchase form. The question was, “Are you a user of <list of drugs>”, which was reported to have been answered “no”. This is seemingly incorrect at first glance as Hunter had been discharged from the Navy for cocaine use. HOWEVER, the question was “are you” (currently), not “were you” (in the past), so “no” was probably a correct response, thus not a lie and therefore not a crime. And Hunter isn’t running for or actually in any government office. Get over it.