Readers’ Column for the week of November 13, 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. 

 

My question is this, are the recycled companies that are now actually recycling? Or are they just combining it with the trash and throwing it away? 

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In the opioid crisis, why were just the pharmacies charged? Why would the doctors not be charged? A pharmacy cannot distribute any drugs without prescriptions being written by the doctors. Many doctors made a fortune during the crisis. 

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Two things. There is a big enclosed farmers market on upper Front Street in Binghamton, it’s a big red building and I believe they’re open on weekends. You have to call somewhere to find out about it. Also, there are different metals in air conditioners that Weitsman’s might be interested in and will pay you for. I would call them if I were getting rid of an air conditioner.

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To the caller complaining about the Tioga Central School District secrets. You might try going to one of the board meetings and asking your questions there. Meeting times are posted. There’s time for public questions and input, and you might be surprised that the information is available there. Board members want to hear from the public and are usually amenable to answering questions. As far as the tax impact, they could answer your questions there, too, but there was a lot of money that came from the government in the form of COVID relief and other grants and availability of money. I’m sure the board members would be happy to answer your questions. Calling the Pennysaver won’t help you resolve your issue.

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I was just reading this column and someone said that people should know what they’re talking about and wanted to say that Erie Street was industrial. It’s industrial through Green Street, but after that it’s not, so the entire street is not industrial. It’s residential from Green Street to Main Street. I just thought I’d clear that up for you.

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This is to all English and elementary teachers. Do you teach grammar and usage anymore? Everywhere I hear, “Me and Sally”; isn’t it proper to say, “Sally and I”? Me can never be used as the subject of a sentence. We always learned that you always put yourself last. Have we gotten away from that? Another one of my pet peeves is when you thank someone and their reply, “No problem.” Can’t we just say “You’re welcome” and maybe under certain instances it could be, “You’re welcome, but it really was no trouble”. Maybe the Old Coot could follow up on this someday.

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I lost someone very dear to me Tuesday. He was always there for us. You always knew he was there in the morning, during the day, and at night. He was very loving and caring, he loved everybody. He was funny. He loved vanilla ice cream with maple syrup and honey on it. He loved his ham. His name was Gizmo and he will never be forgotten. We love you and will miss you very much. Goodbye, my friend.

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I urge all Town of Owego taxpayers to read the September 2022 “Report of Examination | 2022M-42” by the New York State Controller’s Office concerning the audit of the town’s Shared Services Facility Capital Project. One key finding is “The Board did not properly plan, authorize or monitor the Project. Because the Board did not have a thorough understanding of the Project’s overall scope and cost prior to the Project’s authorization, the Project is expected to cost at least $15 million, which is $8.1 million over the Board’s authorized cost of $6.9 million.” The document is on the Internet as a PDF. The Town of Owego’s website is not up at this time.

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To those calling, the Old Coot columns will be back soon. He’s off grid for a bit; maybe he’ll even write about it!

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Our OACSD Board of Education defines the objectives, goals, and actions of our Superintendent. It is the BOE’s intent to move away from transparency, accountability and responsibility. The OACSD Policy Manual is the Governance Charter of the BOE. It was last approved June 2019, and is being replaced, not updated. Request a copy of the Old Policy Manual and you can’t get it. The New PM Sec 2310 Regular Meetings contains the added words, “In addition to the members of the Board, the following individuals will regularly attend the business meetings…” It is hard to understand how the BOE can focus so much attention on evasion of transparency, accountability and responsibility, and at the same time be silent on the grossly inappropriate material provided to our children of tender years, as documented at the BOE meeting of May 9. They could at least resolve that such is contrary to OACSD principles. This inappropriate material is not contained in the May 9 meeting minutes so you might make your own judgment on the matter. Without your vigilance we might revert back to the out-of-control finances and abysmal academic performance existing prior to Superintendent Corey Green, 2016.

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I think it’s my right as a taxpayer in the Village of Newark Valley to question and voice my concern of the mowing of the Trout Ponds after three days of off and on rain and then mowing while it was raining. The time or the guys mowing was not the issue! They were doing what they were told to do (I think). The use of a tractor that the taxpayers spent thousands on was! Anybody with an ounce of common sense, after all the rain we got, would realize the grass was a little high and would understand why it was not mowed, so please don’t assume. Going to a meeting and listening to excuses is not going to happen.

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Thank you so much to all that supported the Friends of Coburn Library’s Book Sale last weekend. Due to your generosity, we were able to donate over $900 to the library. Stay tuned for our next Book Sale happening in March.

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Why is it that just about every story about a crime attracts comments about the crook being out on bail due to bail reform? People act as if people out on bail do all the crimes. Why is someone asking? Because there had to be a first crime committed to get them out on bail in the first place.

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For last week’s expert on the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics and evolution, please get your science right. All systems move toward entropy (disorder), however within the system parts may move to less disorder, like stars, buffoons, clowns, loons, dodos birds, etc. You are order arising out of disorder. Sounds like a climate loon calling a climate skeptic (science educated) a science denier. Evolution does not contradict the laws of thermodynamics. Follow (learn) the science before belching. 

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To the person responding about my questions regarding Erie street and lighted signs, key word being questions. It is not my opinion nor did I state it like a fact. It was a question about the issue. Based on your attack response it sounds you may be one of the more important “historic” people that live near the Legion; the “not in my neighborhood type”.

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Rust on a car has absolutely nothing to do with evolution, or thermodynamics for that matter. Both of them are Theories, by the way. And speaking of entropy, how’s your brain?

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Yes, Tioga Central School is trying to sneak through yet another school vote. Only on the school website is it posted. This plan has been kept a secret for months to taxpayers and still is. VOTE NO on Dec. 14. 

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The OACSD Board of Education members, NOT THE SUPERINTENDENT, are changing their governance charter and for the worse. This is being done in a manner evading public attention. One means has been the invention of BOE Business Meetings, where the public is not welcome, yet the agenda for these meetings is indistinguishable from Regular BOE meetings. Gone is Internet Safety, which required OACSD to “block or filter Internet access by: a) adults to visual depictions that are obscene or child pornography, and b) minors to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors, as defined in the Children’s Internet Protection Act.” Any discussion of these changes is absent, violating NYS Open Meetings Law. Read the meeting minutes for yourself! Expect Business Meetings to disappear once the Policy Manual has been changed to remove transparency, accountability, and responsibility. What’s happening is about the BOE members, there is nothing benefiting students or taxpayers by the march into the dark of night. BOE meeting videos have disappeared as well as great amounts of material, which should have been retained in accordance with NYS retention laws.

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I think it’s wonderful to have some rock-n-roll music back at the Visions Credit Union Memorial Arena in Binghamton. I wish they could bring more rock-n-roll shows to the area. I am looking forward to it. I hope this happens. We need something like this in this area. It’s greatly appreciated. Rock on!

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Goodbye my friend. I love you and you will be missed.

 

National Political Viewpoints

It’s funny how the Democrats are freaking out now that Twitter will allow free speech again and not censor Republican voices, conservative voices, and any voice that disagrees with their fear mongering COVID theories and every other theory, including climate change. These days are done, Democrats. Free speech is going to come back, and then what are you going to do? Maybe the fake news will eventually come back to reporting the news. 

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Why are all the people who rioted on Jan. 6 being prosecuted when the one who caused it all gets off without punishment? Now he’s talking about running for president again. The only way Trump can make America great again is to move to another country. 

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Mark my word, if the Democrats lose the congressional seats, and so forth, they will lose gracefully. Now you watch what the Republicans do, see if they lose graciously. They will be kicking and screaming and crying and having temper tantrums, just like Trump does. I could see supporting the Republican Party, but not Trump.

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Governors cannot suspend laws. Congress members cannot fix state laws. Campaign promises are one thing. Promising to do the impossible is a different story. These false (not misleading – false) claims should be able to be countered. Not enough fact checkers. Too many outlets are blocking the ability to post fact-check findings. Neutrality doesn’t mean closing the door, it means not taking sides.

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How smart are some people? I woke up this morning to read a post accusing a candidate of voter fraud. The candidate lost – twice now. Where is the logic in the accusation?

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So Joe just said he ran to return the soul of the country. Well, you’ve done a hell of a job, Joe, because there is more hatred and division in this country now than ever and it’s all because of you and your predecessor, Obama. The two divide and conquer fear-mongering haters. Good job.

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Wake up, America. We need better people in the government. We really do. Six years you’ve harassed President Trump, harassed him. How much money have you spent on him doing his foolishness, which you could give the money to our veterans and help America, help the people? America is going down the drain fast, might be too late already. Wake up. We need more important people that will help us in the government, not be against us, and fighting. Help us. Help us, America. Help yourselves; wake up.

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Uh, what to do? Veterans need our help. Kids need our help. Did you see in Pennsylvania they actually elected a guy that’s been dead for two weeks? That’s pretty good, because usually dead people vote, they switched it around this time, and you wonder why people sometimes have doubts about elections. You can’t make this stuff up.

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I can’t believe I live in a state that reelected our governor. She is one of the worst in the country, if not the worst. She’s worse than Cuomo. In Michigan and California they reelected their liberal governors too. What happened to the people in this country? Does anybody have half a brain? After the disaster of COVID, what they did to the people in New York, Michigan and California, you’d think people would wise up.