Readers’ Column for the week of September 8, 2024

You may call The Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2378 24-hours a day, or email comments to ReadersOP@gmail.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message.

 

In the Aug. 18 Pennysaver it was stated that “The Village of Newark Valley was recently awarded $732,420 in Restore NY funding for the rehabilitation of two buildings located at 10 and 14-16 Whig St. in downtown Newark Valley.” In the Sept.1 Pennysaver column it stated, “Village taxpayers are not on the hook for ANY of property cost.” Here’s my question. Why was it stated the Village received the grant and not the owners? Are the two locations worth $732,420 dollars? And what lending institution would lend that much for the two properties that, in my opinion, are not worth almost a quarter of a million dollars. Politicians make it sound like grant money is free, only it does come from taxpayers! If you own property should it not be the owner’s responsibility to maintain? It was stated in this column twice that the taxpayers of the Village won’t be responsible for any cost. We will see!

~

There’s a man that has a long list of criminal activity, arson, drugs, breaking and entering, sex offender, and car theft that has been seen walking the streets all hours of day and night in Newark Valley. If I could I would print his name and description, but I can’t. So if you see any suspicious activity, report it!  

~

A recent poster commented on the apparel of some young women. This wedding may have been the same one I attended. I agree, truly disrespectful. Maybe the mothers of these girls were the same ones that sent them off to school in short shorts and skimpy tops. I am not much older than those young women but am disappointed in their choices.

~

Regarding the Sept. 1 report about Nicholas Cron. Cron performed carjacking and many other felonies over a nine-day period, from Aug. 19 – Aug. 28. He used a firearm in committing many of these crimes. He was sought by many law enforcement agencies during this time. As Cron was armed and dangerous and committing crimes all over the south Owego area for such a long period of time, why were residents in the area not warned? Seems to me that officials dropped the ball on this.
~

More chuckles in this week’s column! Folks commenting about some huge amount of grant money passed out in Newark Valley. “The Village of Newark Valley taxpayers are not on the hook for the project costs” and “it doesn’t fall on our taxpayers in the village; it’s a grant from the State of New York”. Last I knew Newark Valley was located in the state of New York! The residents are paying New York State income tax; ultra high prices for everything purchased in the State, along with ridiculous sales tax on those goods, bloated tax on gasoline, cigarettes, etc., all of which probably funded this grant.

~

The driveway to our wonderful dog park needs to be widened and repaved.

~

In response to the available Yamaha Piano, my younger sister and I love to play piano and could really use one over at our father’s house. I love playing it, and my sister will be old enough to start lessons soon. Our father’s number is (615) 812-1286. If he doesn’t answer, please leave a voicemail.  

~

If you are looking for a library to go to, check out the Apalachin Library on Main Street. There are good books, DVDs and magazines, and there is always something new! The best part is how kind the staff is! The library is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

~

For all of you vintage toy collectors, there is a nice quantity of collectibles at Bostwick’s online auction on Sunday, Sept. 8. 

~

Could you please tell me, with all of these solar farms going in on hills and valleys, why is my electric bill going up all the time? And where is all this solar power going? Just wondering. 

~

This is in response to the lady who’s giving away free apples. My number is (908) 797-9709. I would like the free apples and I will clean up also. Thank you. 

~

To the person that wrote in about the electric bills in Nichols – We live in Apalachin and ours were always regular. I’m the same way as you are. I’m not using much electricity right now, no air conditioning, don’t have the heat on, and my bills have doubled compared to what they were. Everybody in the neighborhood’s complaining about it. It’s got to be the new meters, but when you call the electric company they say no. If you get a new meter, your bill is going to go up considerably. 

~

I live in Tioga County, and I’d like to know if it’s illegal to block off access to property when your right of way is on the deed and has been on it for over 100 years. Please leave your phone number in this column so I could talk to you or get some advice over the phone. Thank you. 

~

I was wondering if anybody would know where I could buy some dollhouse furniture. I found places to buy dollhouses, but no furniture. So if anybody knows, please leave a message in this column.

~

I’m very upset that insurance companies are charging the general public for the guy that drives uninsured. That’s not my problem. I’m not breaking the law. That’s between the insurance company and the uninsured. Take them to court; don’t penalize me. 

~

Is there anyone in the Candor, Owego, or Spencer area that puts zippers in coats? Thank you. 

~

Does anybody else out there get upset when you make a phone call to somebody and they don’t get back to you? I have two calls in which I need to hear back from both of them. If I keep calling them, is that harassing them? People in business should call people back. I don’t know, does anybody else have that problem? 

~

I live on Talmadge Hill South and I travel that road two and three times a day from 17C coming up to the top of Talmadge Hill South. There seems to be a lot of immature drivers that are racing up and down that road, zigzagging and having a really good time. That happens late at night, weekends, and as soon as it gets dark; they seem to come out of the woodwork. It’s becoming very dangerous. I have to go to work and I have to take kids to school. I’d like to see the presence of either the Sheriff’s Department or the troopers. It’s considered the town of Barton and someone should come out and see the black zigzag marks all over that road. I think it’s time we had a little bit more police protection.

 

National Political Viewpoints

I personally am pro life, with exceptions for health of the mother, rape, incest, etc. States need to have their own laws to deal with this issue and you NEED to live in a state that represents your beliefs. Government should not be involved in the Abortion issue.

~

Harris wants to change the Supreme Court to 15 or more judges. She also wants to change it from a lifetime position to 18 years; crazy. She wants to change our highest court because she and the Democrats did not like the rulings on several high profile cases recently. That is just WRONG. Next it will be the Constitution being changed to suit their Socialist Agenda. Also, humiliating the judges on the Supreme Court is shameful and undemocratic.

~

Anyone who burns an American Flag should be put in prison for one year, along with those vandalizing government institutions by tearing down statues and defacing property. Just think of all the riots during the years that followed the onset of the pandemic – pulling down statues, burning flags, and defacing and burning property all across the country. Never being held accountable. Anyone who burns an American Flag should not live in America. Go to a communist country and try burning their flag. No jail time, you will be eliminated. Harris is so soft on crime; not what we need for another four years.

~

Free everything is and will not help our economy. I am for helping those in need 100%; however, I know of so many people who have their hand out for anything they can get, even when they do not need it, just because it is free. Have some PRIDE! Hollywood elites and many governmental officials don’t even know the price of groceries. They don’t worry about having to eventually buy an electric car or for now paying $4 or more for gas. They are out of touch with everyday Americans like me.

~

What makes America so great is that you can express free speech, with no violence. My views many times are different from some of my close friends and yes, even close family members. I thank The Owego Pennysaver for printing ALL the concerns of both Republicans and Democrats. We enjoy reading The Owego Pennysaver more than our Binghamton Liberal Press.

~

I took at least three companies into bankruptcy. I ran a scam university. I had a bone spur so I wouldn’t get drafted, though I don’t remember which foot. I denigrated war heroes and suckers and losers who were killed in action but I know I would have been a great general. I am a great Christian; just compare me with the Beatitudes. I cheated on my first wife before I married my second. I cheated on my second wife before I married my third, then I cheated on my third wife with a porn star. I am a convicted sex offender. I am a convicted felon. I am the only one who can save this nation, so vote for me for your next president.

~

Another day, another school shooting. And this comes just days after a murder / suicide right here in Owego. Americans are 25 times more likely to die of gun violence than residents of any other developed nation on earth. Does it have anything to do with the fact that we are up to our eyeballs in guns in this country? Japan is a country of more than 127 million people, but it rarely sees more than 10 gun deaths a year. In our nation of 330 million people we average just under 50,000 gun deaths a year. 

~

There are a lot of things in this country where common sense would suggest there be national policy / standards, instead of varying state to state. For instance, school librarians. Requirements should be consistent; with not only a MLS degree, but also a teacher’s license, degree in education, or equivalent. Then there would be no need to “ban” books in a school library. The book selection by an educated library professional would be geared to the reading level of the school’s population. A first grader, just learning to read, does not need a copy of War and Peace in the library; even a fifth grader would struggle; but that title doesn’t need to be termed as “banned”. Has common sense been outlawed?

~

Where will history find you in the fight for our country to remain a democracy? Will you be found to be in the Trump Cult and supportive of him no matter what? Or will you be one who stands up and says we need to be better than this person is offering?

~

I really pray that Americans take a good look around them before voting in November. If Trump is going to do all these bad things if re-elected, then why didn’t he do them in his first term. Immigrants did not overrun us, we could afford to buy food, gas and maintain our homes, and we never saw so much hate in our country. Kamala is saying she’s going to do great things if elected. Why hasn’t she done any of them in the last three-plus years? On day one Biden opened the borders and put her in charge. What has she done to protect Americans? Nothing! Same with shutting down drilling and making us dependent on our enemies. She had over three years to make a difference and didn’t!

~

At this point, Donald Trump is more likely to have a mental condition named after him than a presidential library.

~

Trump is a financial dud. How great was the market under Trump? When COVID hit, Trump choked. The market tanked. It has taken three years for those that lost to break even. Every financial metric is currently on fire. If you haven’t been in the market in the last two years you’re a fool. Most investments have never been better. Vote Harris. 

~

I keep seeing Trump, JD Vance, and other Republicans calling Kamala Harris a hypocrite for bad mouthing the rich when she is wealthy herself. The difference is that Trump was gifted his wealth through inheritance, and then bankruptcy and theft. Kamala Harris, and the Obamas, worked hard to make their own way in the world, and then shared their wealth. The GOP likes to talk about poor people needing to work hard and “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” out of poverty, but when someone actually does that, the Republicans still find fault.

~

Are Kamala’s policy proposals clear to you? These are what you vote for, not just “joy”. What does “joy” mean to you? You vote for agenda, not personality.

~

And here we are, creeping ever closer to Election Day. On one hand we have a convicted felon, a liar with a narcissist personality who cannot control himself. He also made a poor choice for a running mate, someone not that likeable. Running on the other hand, a person of no notable accomplishments, no plan and does not play well with others, who also made a poor choice of VP by not vetting him closely enough. She repeated Biden’s statement that she would be a president for all of America. How did that workout for the past three years and eight months? Looks like we are faced with a “Hobson’s choice.”

~

Donald Trump filed for bankruptcy four times. He created a fake online “University” to steal money from poor young people who believed him and thought they could finally get a college degree and better themselves. He created a fake “Charity” and then took all of the donations for himself. These are facts! I grew up in a poor rural area and I raised my own family in a poor rural area, and I am begging you to not put your faith in a con man. Trump takes advantage of working class people and laughs all the way to the bank about how stupid we are.

~

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s own brother, Jeff Walz, has reportedly considered joining forces with former President Donald Trump, publicly criticizing his brother as “not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.” He is debating joining forces with Trump, and according to the FEC gave money to the Trump campaign in 2016.

~

So after hiding from the press for over a month, Kamala gave an interview last night that lasted 26 minutes. We learned absolutely nothing from it except she still lies, and she has notes. Seriously, she had notes? Unbelievable! I wonder if she’ll give another interview or if they’re going to hide her until Election Day. 

~

In reply to the reader in last week’s column that blames the Biden campaign for the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Did you forget or ignore the fact that Trump was the one that planned it? 

~

I’m glad to see Governor Abbott says one million Texans have been removed from voter rolls, and that they have cracked down on illegal voters. I’m hoping that the whole country cracks down and makes it a legal election, not your type, but a real election. Not your mail-in ballots. I keep watching and I’m hoping they end that. 

~

One has to wonder how much more desperate and deranged the Republicans can get. Just now, on the news, I heard the Republicans say the Democrats believe in abortions up until birth, and even after the baby’s born! Well, then it’s called murder, not abortion. They don’t believe in abortions up through the ninth month, but they’re sure to scare a lot of their weak-minded fans. Vote Harris! 

~

There are two things that you should never discuss, religion and politics. 

~

I hope you Democrats realize that the only reason there are charges against Trump is because he is running for president. If he weren’t running for president, none of this would have been brought up. 

~

For the person that said it was absolutely ridiculous that Planned Parenthood wasn’t offering free abortions or vasectomies last week. I suggest you watch something else besides CNN, MSNBC or The View, because it was out there in the open and it was a fact. So your facts are reported on fake news, okay? They only affect the lies that the Democrat Party tells them to tell. 

~

Trump was planning to pull out of Afghanistan, but he had plans that would have worked. He didn’t take the military out first, and he wasn’t going to leave $82 billion worth of weapons. In fact, the leader of Afghanistan had a threat that if he did anything wrong he’d be dead and Trump would have enforced it, but that ended as soon as Joe Biden took over and botched everything. So yes, he had plans. Check your facts and stop watching fake news! 

~

Did it occur to anyone that Trump has some really stupid charges? I never heard of some of that stuff. The powers that be must have laid awake at night thinking anything up that would get him. The Democrats want him out and will do anything to blackball him, including phony charges. 

~

Trump is going to do a fundraiser to honor the Jan. 6 participants and will be offering pardons to them. This is so ridiculous and crazy. Where are all the smart and educated voters who know good politics and also know Trump’s background and what he is? I’m afraid they will still vote for him. This is not good for the world to see and it’s not good for us. I absolutely, positively refuse to vote for a felon, a liar, a rapist, and so forth. 

~

Trump and the MAGA movement think that flying the American flag everywhere, kissing the flag at rallies, having Trump’s name written all over the flag and writing vulgar words on the flag about his opponents is patriotism. Using the flag on poles to break into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and injuring people trying to stop a democratic process is not patriotism. Patriotism is “self above country”. Please do not vote for this dangerous, unpatriotic person. 

~

The reason there are a lot more people calling and supporting Trump than supporting Kamala is because there are a lot more people that support Trump than Kamala. That’s why The Owego Pennysaver prints more. You people think that we’re in the minority, that MAGA is few. MAGA is in the huge majority. When was the last time you saw a Biden or Harris flag? Never! Go everywhere in a normal country and Trump is everywhere. But I’m still worried you will find a way to steal the elections. That’s what you do. Make sure you get all the undocumented immigrants registered to vote and make sure you get a lot of mail-in ballots in there. And don’t forget the dead people. Just reminding you of what you’re good at. 

~

Harris should be absolutely ashamed of herself, and it’s a shame for the country surrounding her remarks about the Arlington photos. Wake up! You better change your vote. 

~

Trump has been running for president since 2015. First time you were in on building the wall, which was paid for by Mexico, which did not happen. He called his opponent Crooked Hillary. In 2020 he ran against Sleepy Joe, losing by 7.5 million votes. In 2024 he can’t find the name to call Kamala and can’t gain traction. He is older, slower, and has no new ideas, unless dictator on day one is an idea. Vote for the future, vote Harris / Walz! 

~

What I don’t understand is after four years of the Biden Harris administration, now they’re saying she’s leading in the polls. I’m trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with people. Do you think anything is going to be any better? You put her in there. Are you serious? 

~

Boy oh boy, it would be nice if Donald Trump would quit lying all the time and telling all these stupid things. Everything he’s saying is exactly how he is. He should not be blaming it on Harris. He should be the one taking credit for being the evil lying dictator that he thinks he is. 

~

Trump ordered the Republicans to abandon their own bipartisan border bill so he could falsely campaign on his outlandish claim that the Democrats are encouraging “open borders”. Even with the Trump sabotage of the bipartisan border bill, the Biden Harris administration has succeeded in bringing down the number of US Border Patrol apprehensions. Now it’s at the lowest number since September of 2020, lower than when Trump was in office. Trump shows again another stunt for his personal gain, putting America at risk, while Biden Harris does what is right for the country. Clearly the Democrats have flipped the script on the GOP’s talking points over the border. Democrats are better than the Republicans on border policy. Look up the supporting actual facts.