Readers’ Column for the week of March 5, 2023

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.

 

The 41st Annual Owego Strawberry Festival will be held June 16 and 17, 2023. Applications are being accepted for craft and food vendors at www.owego.org or by calling (607) 972-7308.

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It is Feb. 23, and I just saw large flocks of geese flying over. They are coming back, and I have a purple crocus out. Awesome! It’s arriving a bit early, but it’s nice to see life coming back on the ground. 

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I can’t believe all these stations that report the Murdaugh trial for hours and hours and hours. Just like they did with Johnny Depp’s ridiculous trial. Nobody cares; just let us know what happens at the end. We don’t need to see every little detail of these stupid trials, and I know I can change the station and I do. Who cares!

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The Newark Valley Food Pantry is taking requests for Easter boxes. The pickup will be April 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. You must be in the 13811 zip code area. To reserve your box, call (607) 642-8176 or (607) 642-3339.

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I see Kathy Hochul wants to quit all tobacco products in New York State. What the hell gives her the right to tell people what to do? She wasn’t put in there for that. Stop trying to control people’s lives! They will do what they want to do; you are not in there for that reason. You are not God! Do your job and leave the people the hell alone!

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I’m just reading this week’s Owego Pennysaver, and personally I don’t care about Newark Valley; I’m tired of hearing about it. Freedom of speech is great, but it doesn’t belong here. They should go to their board, they should put posters in the bank and post office and grocery store and everywhere else with their grievances because it’s getting them nowhere and they are just putting it out here to people such as myself. 

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When driving after dark there are so many cars with headlights that are out, especially on the driver’s side. Doesn’t law enforcement render tickets like they used to in the old days? 

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To whoever hit the deer on Montrose Turnpike early Thursday morning – that deer didn’t have to lie there and suffer for hours after you hit it if you had done the right thing. Why didn’t you call the Sheriff’s department to report it? They would have put it out of its misery. Instead it lay there writhing trying to get up until the Sheriff arrived. You should be ashamed of yourself. 

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Does anyone know anything about the LNG liquefaction plant in Wyalusing, Pa. that has been issued a special permit to allow the transport of LNG by rail from the liquefaction plant in Wyalusing, Pa. to an export terminal in Gibbstown, N.J. by a company called New Energy Solutions? This LNG would then be shipped overseas. 

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When our Governor takes away the remaining plastic bags, which she is planning, imagine your kitchen garbage can without a liner! All just dumped into your trash can; if the wind blows your can over or the animals get a whiff of your throw a ways and you will be cleaning up for days. Think of the garbage men. This has gone too far!

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There is some strange business happening within our Owego Apalachin CSD Board of Education.

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I travel our New York State highways and secondary roads throughout our state and the state maintained roads in Tioga County, more specifically Owego, are an absolute disgrace compared to other counties and have been for the past several years. Just wondering if there is a plan to improve the referenced roads or are we just planning to continue to put Band-Aids on our terminal wounds we call our scenic New York State highways?

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I wonder if a similar train derailment happened in Owego, N.Y. if Biden would show up here? What a predicament for the democrats, a New York State county, but it voted for Trump 59/41% in the 2020 election.

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We have written law and the spirit of the law. In both Matter of Goetchius v. BOE, Supreme Court, Westchester County and the NYS Committee on Open Government OML-AO-05280, it was held that Boards of Education meetings held at 7:30 a.m. violate the Open Meetings Law. This is because it denies the public (parents, taxpayers, and working people) and teachers their right to attend BOE (regular, business, or other) meetings. Beginning October 2021, Owego Apalachin CSD BOE began having “Business Meetings” scheduled at 9 a.m. If 7:30 a.m., BOE meetings violate OML for the reasons noted, how is it that 9 a.m. does not? The BOE simultaneously reduced the Regular BOE meetings by the number of new Business meetings. The BOE eliminated opportunity for public expression at Business meetings by removing both the Public Forum and Public Comments from the agenda. What benefit accrued to students and taxpayers? What is the agenda? Business meeting minutes are bare bones, and no video recordings are made. Transparency?

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A dozen eggs, a pound of butter, loaf of bread and gallon of milk is a $20 bill. That’s frightening. 

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I don’t believe any local government is trying to step on anyone’s free speech. However, maybe people who never got involved or care to actually be part of the solution should just stop complaining. Ranting week after week over old news doesn’t fix the past. If anyone has issues with their local leaders, perhaps you could try to find solutions. I’d bet money that you’d rather just sit back complaining and be no part of an actual solution. You’re also the one who’s likely saying everyone’s corrupt because they don’t agree with you. Like it’s been said before, get new material.

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To the person that shows displeasure in what was stated about moving. Yes, if you’re not going to do anything to help the situation but complain, then by all means move, or help. Come to a board meeting and voice your opinion. Don’t just come and bash the members. Come with ideas. The person that the comment was for only comes and bashes the members, never comes with ideas to help. Windows are done, so move on. 

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We are repairing five feral cat shelters. If anyone has any vinyl or plastic siding and J-channel left over from a siding job we would like any amount, large or small, any color. We can pick up; call (607) 759-7467. Thank you!

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A bit fed up (pun intended) with the recent barrage from the media regarding shortages at food pantries. What about those of us living on the edge? We are also experiencing a “double whammy” of inflation and higher taxes. What about our kids that are forced to do with less or without? We give and give and it seems it is never enough. Soon we, too, will be at the food pantries. Then what?

 

National Political Viewpoints

Nancy Pelosi and President Biden tell us what good Christians and Catholics they are. Perhaps they ought to spend more time in the confessional; but then again they don’t have a conscience, so how would they know they are committing sins? 

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Nancy Pelosi must have a lot of stock in AT&T because she told AT&T to take Newsmax off the air and they did it. This is exactly what the problem is with this country. Too many businesses are becoming political. 

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I’m telling you, don’t listen to those idiots about climate change. They’re just trying to scare you. I’m 67 years old, and back in the 60’s and the 70’s we used to sit there in the summer and listen to the tar crackle on the road because it was so hot. That’s summer, that’s what it is supposed to do. It’s not getting any hotter, and the winters are the same. The only reason it’s warm this year is because the good Lord above is making it so because of what the White House has done with the fuel prices. That’s all! So, ask your parents, ask your grandparents if they remember in the 60’s and the 70’s when the tar under the tires on the cars would bubble from the heat.

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Well, I’m a little concerned here about the republicans that were going to fix inflation, fix high prices, and fix security at the border. Now all they want to do is impeach President Biden and then put a law in that makes the AR15 our national rifle. Well, as a firearm owner, I have no use for an AR15 unless I plan on murdering people, so I’m really disappointed. Of course I knew they lied at the election just to get elected and they are continuing to do so. Hopefully they will get their stuff together and quit lying and do something useful instead of all this nonsense, which isn’t going to solve any of our problems. 

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Are you aware that Colorado, New York and Pennsylvania are being sued because they didn’t follow federal election law and clean voter rolls? And the Biden administration wants to tell us there is no such thing as voter fraud. Ha, ha, ha!

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Are you aware that OSHA is not protecting the rights of undocumented workers who have been seeking employment and are replacing American citizens seeking work?

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If Trump were still president, Russia would not have invaded Ukraine. If he were still president we wouldn’t have this disastrous open border, which will eventually destroy our country.

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To the brainwashed democrat out there who says how great this country is doing under Biden, have you purchased gasoline lately? Have you been to the grocery store lately? This country is in terrible shape. We are in a war in Ukraine because of him. He’s nothing but a puppet for the far left. Open your eyes and stop watching The View.

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It’s so interesting that Biden wants people to have in office visits for opioids, yet deadly drugs come across the border by the millions. And yes he does lie, look up some of the stuff that he has said. You will find a lot of lies.

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Newsflash! So, now we absolutely know that COVID leaked from the Chinese Wuhan lab. Dr. Fauci lied before congress and should be prosecuted. Masks are useless in the spread of COVID, and vaccines do not guarantee you will not get it. President Trump was right about all of these things. You cannot trust most democrats, period!

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I recently read that the cost of making the U.S.A. fossil fuel free by 2030 is between 100 trillion and 150 trillion, and this includes updating the power grid and solar and wind energy in order to charge E.V. cars and power our homes. I’m just as much an environmentalist as the next guy, but nothing in our federal reserves would allow that at this time. China and India at this time are third world countries trying to become economic world leaders. In order to fulfill their energy needs coal fire plants are slated to continue to be constructed until 2030 at about the pace of one a week. So again, federal dollars will be wasted trying to make a wrong a right, and more CO2 will be released into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, thanks to India and China.

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Stewards of the planet we must be. How do we know the Global Warming and Climate Change pornographers are nothing more than leaders of useful idiots? 1. Never mentioned are the many benefits, which come from higher temperature (e.g. U.S. corn production). 2. It is clear the current path to so-called de-carbonization cannot be done with existing and future metal supplies and the green folks can’t consider exploring other means accomplishing this end, like stop buying stuff from the planet killer, China. It takes about 1,800 gallons of diesel to extract the ore, not the refined metals, required for one Tesla battery. It takes more energy to recycle lithium than mining it. Google pictures of the Norilsk wastelands and don’t get sick. 

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In the blatant hypocrisy of the democrats, Illinois has had a bill introduced by Thaddeus Jones (D) that would require businesses to hire ARMED security guards. If your party believes gun violence is a problem, why on earth would you advocate adding more guns to the mix? Are security guards then going to shoot looters and shoplifters? What if the weapon is stolen off these guards and used in future crimes if the perpetrator gets away? What about innocent bystanders if the armed security discharges his weapon, including children? Wow! Makes zero sense to me. How about just going back to letting the majority of police who are dedicated to public safety do their job, and actually lock criminals up instead of letting folks with often multiple felonies back out on the street with essentially just a scolding.

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Seems every day, when I read the news, Hochul is banning this or that, making new laws and regulations, and “sprinkling” our tax dollars to various communities in the form of multi year grants. Anyone who understands government funding knows it can only be approved annually, so multi year grants likely may never happen, but make good political news. New York is consistently one of the highest taxed states, and also is on the top of the list of people leaving due to high taxes, excessive laws, and regulations. Hochul needs to address these two reasons and how to solve them. Period. I laugh when I see column comments wondering about Republican plans. The simple answer is what they were doing before Biden got elected and stripped all the good things, like energy independence, a strong military, a strong economy, reductions in useless and expensive regulations, a secure border, and support for the police and first responders. Biden’s only accomplishment has been to undo these things. Can you say you were better off now than before Biden?

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No, the “democratic expert on climate control” is not Greta Thunberg. Greta was born and raised and resides in Sweden. Sweden doesn’t care about your acerbic partisan Republican politics inasmuch as Sweden has no Democratic Party. Speaking of the environment, why not go outside and get some fresh air? There’s more to life than hurling invective on a weekly basis in these atrocious comments. Incidentally, capitalization is important. “Democratic” with a capital “D” is a different word than “democratic” with a lowercase “d”.

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President Biden is spending money in Ukraine for a reason; we only have one world.

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For all who commented last week about President Biden spending money shooting down the flying object, which didn’t amount to much, you’re the same people who would complain if he hadn’t. 

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I, for one, do try to watch all cable news channels, plus PBS. The vast majority presents an extremely biased, opinionated, hypocritical, closed-minded bunch of spin; consistently one sided with outrageous misleading manipulated “facts”. There are never any hosts or guests with conservative views for a fair exchange (what are they afraid of). The only impression I get is of a bunch of bobble heads. At least Fox invites folks with liberal views, and the handfuls of those with the courage of their convictions do show up.