Readers’ Column for the week of October 13, 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. With the general election coming up on Nov. 5, next week’s publication, Oct. 13, will be the last week that comments that are of political interest will run, and to comply with our company’s election and political policy. These comments will resume in the Nov. 10 publication.

 

Attention Ukulele Players – The Tioga Ukulele Group’s next adult jam session is scheduled for Oct. 19, from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Coburn Free Library, Main Street, Owego.  All levels of players are welcome to join us, from beginners to accomplished ukulele players. For more information or to receive music ahead of the jam session, please call (607) 743-9803 or (607) 321-8815, or send an email to TiogaUkuleleGroup@yahoo.com.

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Who is paying for the lights to be on 24/7 at Marvin Park? I see the skateboard area is well lit up at 11 p.m. Why is this? No one skates that late. Are the taxpayers paying for this electric bill? If so, shut them off after dark. My tax money should go to cut the high grass along the roadside or fill in the potholes.

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What has happened to our legal system? One year ago yesterday a rodeo was investigated and the ASPCA of Arkansas came and rescued over 100 animals who were starving. My nightmare has begun again. Sources tell me all charges have been dropped and they are allowed to have animals again. I see no hay for them to eat. The nights are near the 30’s already. Where is their shelter, it is raining out? Do I need a community behind me to advocate for the animals? AGAIN! How is this allowed to happen again? Signed: Gail Ghinger

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As a taxpaying member of the Owego Apalachin School District, I would love to see more hours added to the pool at OFA for public swim time. Can this happen? The 6-7:30 a.m. is not very convenient for everyone, so adding times later in the day, or perhaps the weekend, would be so very much appreciated.

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Most flooding is the result of bad planning and mindlessly uncompensated redirection. Two decades ago, at an engineering continuing ed course on waterproofing, the main take home lesson was, “You can’t stop water, only redirect it.” An engineer from Vestal, N.Y. has been posting about the need to dredge the Susquehanna to compensate for redirection of the Chemung nearCorning. He believes the dredging firms will do this for free in exchange for being able to sell the silt. Further, the Susquehanna should be extended to Lake Erie and all the Cooperstown, Goudy and Colliers and other dams should be replaced with bottom hugging generators to allow fish, boats and most importantly, water, to travel unobstructed. We know how Robert Moses burying the Flushing river for the second world fair is responsible for flooding downstate, where they should have proceeded to extend it to the Atlantic instead. Besides fishing, river navigation is much more energy and environmentally friendly.

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To the kind person who offered the free skeins of embroidery floss, I would love to have it. You can call me at (607) 598-8287 and I would be more than happy to come and pick it up.

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Thank you gallantly for last week’s comment about the “FREE” covid tests you received. I was having a tremendously somber day, so when I read that you certainly made me laugh! LOL has a whole new vibe!

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Just curious, does anyone ever get charged with littering? Really, have you looked at the garbage along our roads that volunteers go out and pick up? Just picture what the homes of those that litter look like if this is what they knowingly do to the environment, just because they are lazy.

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Why hasn’t the Village of Owego turned on the street lights at the new development on 434, Owego Square? There are a lot of children up there on the hill and it’s very dark. Hazardous.

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I’m very interested in the embroidery floss that was in this column. You can reach me at (607) 621-7106. My name is Charlene.  

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Owego residents, the American Legion needs your help. The Village Board and the OHPC have had appearance tickets issued at the Legion regarding the new sign out in front of our building. Most recently they have mentioned legal action against the Legion. Chances are they’ll be using your taxpayer dollars for the legal action. The veterans that fought for your freedom now need your help. Let the Village Board and OHPC and all the taxpayers that they work for, know what we want. Please help save the sign! Thank you.

 

National Political Viewpoints

60 minutes has interviewed both presidential party candidates in October for six decades. After previously committing, Mr. Trump cancelled at the last minute when he found out they do fact checks on all interviews so they could call him out when he lied. He prefers his pep rallies where he knows he can lie constantly and just make things up because his followers will believe anything he says, especially if he can make them angry and instill hate against someone or some group (his favorites are immigrants and Kamala).

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I looked up Jamie Davidson and Trump did indeed pardon him after Davidson served 29 years. Davidson should have died in prison for what he did. Please respond to my question though. Should Biden be held accountable for the illegals who entered under his open border policy and committed horrendous acts against American citizens, or does he get a pass because he’s a Democrat?

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FEMA – With hurricane Helene causing such devastation, Government officials said in live interviews that FEMA was just about out of money. With another hurricane, Milton, hitting Florida, FEMA would have no money to help those who need it. SO SAD, as our present administration has used so much of that money for the millions of illegal immigrants who crossed our OPEN border. Paying for them to stay in hotels, etc. Shouldn’t the AMERICAN citizens be the first priority? Something is VERY wrong here. It needs to stop with a new Administration of Trump and Vance.  Wake up people, before it is too late.

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Do not let Donald Trump’s recent love of Musk fool you. He has done his usual quid pro quo. Trump does nothing unless he gets something first. In return for all Musk is doing for him, Trump is dangling a cabinet seat for him. And do not believe he is letting flood victims access his starlink out of the goodness of his heart. Having two masochistic personalities teamed up and possibly running the country will be more than a democracy can handle. With a Trump presidency, my feelings are there will never be any fixing and we will not be better off ever.  

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I sure hope that those planning to vote for Donald Trump realize that he plans to do away with the Constitution and many of the governmental agencies so many people depend upon. Please consider your choice. If you vote for this man, our country will never be the same again. Also, why does he bash the United States so much, yet wants to be President?

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You know, it seems that if you are against abortion, you just don’t have one. How do you suppose the government has the right to tell others what to do with their own bodies? And, if this continues, where will it stop?

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I walk my dog daily past the southern approach to the Court Street Bridge. On Saturday there was a Harris Walz and a Trump Vance election sign side-by-side under the “To 17 West” and “East 434” black and white road signs. On Sunday the Harris Walz sign was missing. This comes a few days after my ex-wife’s Harris Walz election sign was defaced in her front yard. Trump’s entire congregation of obedient fools is going to be sorely disappointed in November, and I look forward to it with delight.

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Hurricane Milton spurred meteorologist John Morales to step forward to take a stand, sharing his thoughts after Hurricane Helene hit. “Something’s shifted,” he wrote. “And it’s not just the climate.”He noted that with Helene on the way, “I did what I’ve done during my entire 40 year career, I tried to warn people. Except that the warning was not well received by everyone. A person accused me of being a ‘climate militant,’ a suggestion that I’m embellishing extreme weather threats to drive an agenda. Another simply said that my predictions were ‘an exaggeration.’ “But it wasn’t an exaggeration,” he wrote.  “For decades I had felt in control. Not in control of the weather, of course. But in control of the message that, if my audience was prepared and well informed, I could confidently guide them through any weather threat, and we’d all make it through safely. But no one can hide from the truth. Extreme weather events, including hurricanes, are becoming more extreme. I must communicate the growing threats from the climate crisis come hell or high water, pun intended.” Heather Cox Richardson. October 7, 2024

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I am glad several people wrote, trying to explain the difference between coming into this country legally, and not. I suspect those who have their mind set in concrete, pretending not to see the difference, had ancestors who came here so many years ago that they have no direct knowledge of the sacrifice their folks endured to come to this country. They honored and followed the laws of their new homeland. I know several recent immigrants who are (rightfully) very upset that they followed rules and laws and are fighting to make a life here for themselves and their families, while those ignoring our laws seem to be treated like royalty, including being handed $2,500 debit cards (while flood victims get a whopping $750). If you can’t see the difference and recognize the unfairness, then you are to be pitied.

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Short list of Trump’s accomplishments: $364 million verdict in civil fraud case, $2 million charity abuse judgment, $88.3 million sexual abuse verdict, 26 sexual assault allegations, $25 million fraud settlement, one fake university shut down, onme fake charity shut down, one convicted company, five draft deferments, 91 criminal charges, two impeachments, six bankruptcies, and four indictments.

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CNN reports on people fleeing Hurricane Milton. Four lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, for miles. How is that going to work with everyone driving EV’s?

 

FACT – Biden-Harris sends nearly $200,000,000 to Lebanon, and humanitarian aid for hurricane Helene victims (for a disaster NOT of their own making) consists of some tarps. Oh, and a handful of generators.

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Have you Republicans realized that you’re going to waste your vote? You know who I’m talking about. And why are you all trying to cover his crimes up? They say there’s no crime. And, by the way, this is a Republican area. Have you people ever wondered why this area is just slowly getting run down? Everybody is just miserable, and maybe it’s because the Republicans have been running this town for so long.  

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$750 for U.S. citizens that were hit by the latest flooding disaster, but $2,500 for illegal immigrants. Now Harris says FEMA is broke. Democrat fairness in action, that’s what it is.

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Donald Trump is showing such poor support to anybody. He is so ignorant that he calls Liz Cheney stupid at Warthog. This is why there’s no respect for anybody in this United States, because he is setting the example. He should just keep his mouth shut!

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It would be nice if Trump would just shut up and go away. He’s whining about everybody talking the truth about him and then he’s going around calling everybody names. That’s alright, but if somebody says something about him he cries and whines that he’s being mistreated and that the Democrats are using dangerous rhetoric, while he’s the one using the dangerous rhetoric and anybody that is buying into his nonsense is crazy. You’re about to lose your freedoms if that fool wins the election.

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Don’t forget that Kamala Harris was the tie breaking vote on the $4 billion Green New Deal hoax, which is one of the primary reasons for our inflation. Just keep that in mind because if you’re stupid enough to elect her, there’s going to be plenty more of that.

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Czar Harris and Comrade Walz are liars. What a shocker! Harris never worked at McDonald’s and she sure wasn’t poor. She has no plans, no policy, and avoids answering any questions she doesn’t like. She’s had four years to secure the border. She must have thought that nobody would notice the chaos in our country. Four more years of fake Harris will kill our great country.

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The totally inept response to Hurricane Helene by the Harris-Biden regime is disgraceful. Glenn Beck has been supplying food, water and medicine since day one for those so inclined. They can contribute to real, immediate relief by going to Beck’s MercuryOne.org site.

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Don’t you people find it odd, two weeks ago, Hillary Clinton was on TV saying October is going to be a big surprise? October, a big, big surprise and Boom! October hits, Trump is back in court again. They’re all in it! Clintons, Obamas, Bidens. Pelosi, Schumer, they’re all involved in it. One big evil corrupt ring.

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Until the government quits taking contributions from big businesses, no problems in America will ever be solved.

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I really enjoy your paper. I read it every week. I just have two comments on things that really bother me. I’m a senior and a Navy veteran. I pay over $200 a month for healthcare and it does not cover everything. But now, this one Democratic running for Congress wants to give another $85 million of free healthcare to illegal immigrants. My daughter paid over $300 a week for childcare, while illegals are getting free childcare. This is a horrible crime against so many Americans who are in the same boat as me. Also, I feel horrible for all those people down South after what happened with Helene. I will donate to the Red Cross to help them because it is the right thing to do, and because it was in the news that FEMA can’t help all these people. Why?

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Trump cannot even get a job as a bus driver because he’s a felon and you people would vote for him? Wake up people and you know the rest of the story. It’s not worth getting into it because his lies are getting worse every day. Project 2025 will be hell for everyone if Trump is elected.

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For all the MAGA fans who keep saying what a great businessman Trump is, let’s get real. Let’s look at the facts. His father left him multiple million dollars. He blew that. He went through six bankruptcies. He brought Atlantic City to its knees. They would not want him coming back to that city. He couldn’t buy an NFL team, none of the owners wanted him. The only people that will survive this Trump, and have it better, is Elon Musk who doesn’t need to. He could care less about the middle class, and believe me you will pay for this. And I don’t want to hear any more about eggs being $3 a dozen. Oh my gosh, you better think twice before you vote for Trump because it’s going to be way worse.  

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I said it once and I’ll say it again. I’m so grateful that Donald Trump is running as a Republican. He’s going to destroy your party. Good luck.

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Your national political viewpoints of policy amounts to censorship. It’s a violation of the 1st amendment. Either you allow freedom of speech all the time; you don’t stop it by an arbitrary date with early voting, with mail in ballots or with the absentee ballots. Your restriction of an arbitrary date is useless. Either eliminate the column all the time or run it all the time. No arbitrate date incited by you and your editors. Thank you.

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The latest three stooges happen to be Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz. Thank you.

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Trump won’t appear on 60 Minutes. He won’t do a debate on Fox News. Sounds like he’s a real scared person. Wait till he goes to prison. He’ll really be scared.

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Looks like Al Gore was right. Unfortunately for the global warming climate deniers, we all suffer. Just ask Floridians, Gulf Coast residents, and residents of the Southeast United States.  

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While President Trump is answering serious tough questions and dozens of town hall meetings, Kamala is having a beer with Stephen Colbert and taking softball questions. You Democrats should be ashamed of such a candidate and the fake media support of her.

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Josh Riley wants our school children to only eat refried beans and have sex change operations.