Readers’ Column for the week of November 24, 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 messages.

I’m calling regarding the Church Street and Main Street traffic lights, and I’ve been pondering the varying figures mentioned, ranging from $20,000 to $30,000, representing a 30% difference, 33% difference. Who bid that out and who specified the bid? Is that information available in the clerk’s office? Was the bid for a new traffic light, or was it for repairs to the existing one? How is all that done? There should be at least three bids when considering anything over $500 in a municipality. Has that been done? Additionally, can I get the specifications from the clerk’s office, or are they available for me to potentially bid on myself? I would appreciate it if these questions could be addressed, perhaps in the upcoming issue of the Pennysaver.  

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At the Nov. 18 Village of Owego meeting, there were public comments about two different zoning issues. One issue related to a sign in a residential district, while the other concerned the Renewal Center operating within the same district. It appears that neither party offering comments had acquainted themselves with the village zoning law or consulted with nearby residents about their plans and activities. Zoning laws serve a public purpose, and it is recommended to review them before making any decisions. Thanks to the Village Code Office and the Village Board for addressing both of these concerns.

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At the Village of Newark Valley board meeting, held on Nov. 12, a resolution to exceed the 2% tax cap was unanimously approved. This is a requirement set by the state. What the state does not require is for our taxes to be raised! The Mayor said that if all goes well, there will be a discussion on Dec. 10. We, as residents and taxpayers, need to show up. Remember last year they wanted 5.6% and it was brought down to 2.3%. I believe that attending the meetings has an impact on things.

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The squirrel was needlessly killed by a species claiming to possess superior intelligence. It’s peculiar how humans believe they have the right to harm the (inconvenient) innocent.

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Many decades ago, the library in our town did not carry Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew books. When I asked the librarian about it, she said they were the equivalent of cotton candy for the mind and limited space was saved for worthier tomes. (Oddly enough, the adult section had a large number of Harlequin romances – go figure.) My mother tried to get me to read the “Little House on the Prairie” books (which I found BORING), but certainly didn’t object to Nancy Drew (problem solving skills). Anyway, mom and I went together to shop for Nancy Drew. I bought them with my allowance (children back then did chores to earn money, a valuable life lesson of work = money). Those books were not exactly banned by the library, just deemed less worthy of valuable shelf space. I accepted that and did not make a federal case out of it. I simply worked to purchase what I wanted, with my parents’ acquiescence. Life’s not always fair; worrying about that fact only causes wrinkles.

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Why doesn’t law enforcement seem to care about enforcing Vehicle and Traffic Law section 401(1) (a)? This is the statute dealing with unregistered motor vehicles. UTVs are unable to be registered in New York; they are too big to be considered ATVs, and cannot be registered as such. UTVs cannot be registered in another state and operated on New York roads. UTVs do not meet the criteria for slow-moving vehicles, nor can they be classified as farm/agricultural vehicles; therefore, the “bright orange triangle” seen on Amish buggies does not apply. The bottom line is that UTVs are prohibited from being driven on any public road or highway, yet I observe them being driven almost daily. People frequently drive at 60 mph in a 30 mph zone on a particular road, and it’s only a matter of time before a UTV is involved in an accident. 

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Once again, the goal post moved. We began with a hypothetical scenario involving EVs evacuating a hurricane. Now we need to consider that the person apparently doesn’t have any friends within 250 miles. We continue to manufacture problems, never mind that 250 driving distance from Owego would get us clear of New York and Pennsylvania in most directions. Is it really that inconvenient to stop, charge up for half an hour, and have a meal after driving for four hours or more? If not, my only remaining question is this, “What brand of adult diapers do you recommend?”

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I would like to thank Nancy Brown of Owego for her recent letter to the editor. It is a prayer with which I agree. We are in the midst of spiritual warfare. 

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The NYS DEC can make all the excuses they want, but seizing and then euthanizing animals they are supposed to be protecting is inexcusable. They should know how to approach an animal to prevent it from biting. ANY animal is going to react if it thinks it is threatened; shouldn’t the DEC, as professionals, know that? According to research, there have been NO reported cases of rabies in squirrels recently in NYS; indeed, rabies in small rodents is exceedingly rare nationwide. However, there have been cases of rabies in horses in NYS. Is the DEC going to seize a pet horse because it missed the carrot and accidentally nipped a hand? Is this a case of retaliation for not paying a significant amount for a license? Government overreach. RIP little buddies.

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Found Cat: Gray tiger cat with a red and green jeweled collar. Comes to eat after dark on Brooks Street in the Village of Newark Valley. Call (607) 642-8131 if you know where this cat lives.

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I want to thank the 911 dispatch person and the State Police for responding to Maple Lane and caring for an abandoned dog that was in poor condition. The State Police arrived and displayed great kindness. They remained with the dog until someone arrived to pick it up. The dog even wagged its tail when it was picked up. So that’s a great story. Thank you, State Police. Thank you, 911. Our tax dollars are hard at work and this was a wonderful thing, a very humane thing. Thank you very much, State Police! 

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I am calling about the Village of Owego’s most significant public safety concern, which is the Church Street and Main Street traffic control lights being out. If I come out on the north side of Church Street, there’s a large white line where I assume I should stop. There’s a stop sign that maybe I should stop at, and there’s a blinking red light that I could stop at. However, none of those three signs allow me to see west on Main Street or east on Main Street because of the parked cars. It appears to me that at least six parking spots need to be removed on both sides of Main Street to address the issue with the way this signage is painted and the stripes appear at that location; it’s a real conundrum. I believe we should simply fix that light. We spent $650,000 for a skateboard park; we should be able to allocate $20,000 or possibly less if we had obtained more bids for that traffic light. Children, the elderly, and all drivers who use the crosswalk are at risk. Get smart Village Board, elections are coming soon. 

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Thank you to the person who found my lost gift card in the Owego Price Chopper and turned it into the service desk. Thank you very much. God bless you for your honesty! 

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We want to express our gratitude to Corey and the Candor Highway Department for the exceptional work on our road. We’ve been waiting for a long time to have that fixed. Thank you so much, great job! 

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As far as I know, when the flag is up, you have mail to go out. If you put a letter in there and your flag is down, then it doesn’t get picked up. You just take a chance whether you have mail or not when you go out to get it. The mailman does not put the flag up when delivering something in your mailbox.

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On Nov. 9, Black Friday Bowling is back for all school-aged children. Enjoy complimentary soda, pizza, and bowling. Look forward to seeing you there! 

National Political Viewpoints

A reader stated that Trump won’t be celebrating Veterans Day because he is nothing but a coward. They failed to mention fellow draft dodgers and cowards Joe Biden and Bill Clinton. Perhaps draft dodging cowards don’t apply to Democrats, just Republicans.

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I read last week’s national political opinions and was really kind of surprised that people are still believing the lies spread by the “journalists” on ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, FOX, AND CNN. It doesn’t take much effort to uncover the truth, yet many individuals still trust these networks, so it probably won’t matter.

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In response to a comment last week admitting that the Democratic campaign was flawed and that 2028 will be “better than ever” – I hope so! Maybe run someone younger than Methuselah, perhaps; or not merely a sorority mean girl who needs to spend well over a billion campaign donor dollars on entertainers; or someone besides a career politician with no clue about “Joe Lunchbox”; someone who actually earned their money instead of being a leech on the taxpayers, perhaps? Someone who did not, during their tenure, actually negate a “living wage” and “affordable housing for all,” including stealing seniors’ lifelong savings with out-of-control prices; wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on wars and on mollycoddling folks illegally bypassing what our legal immigrants endured… yes! That would be good! Furthermore, in response to another comment about Trump: neither Biden nor Harris have military experience, so following your logic, they would also be considered unsuitable for the role of commander in chief.

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I see that all of you on the left are experiencing the same sorrow you felt eight years ago. I have a few suggestions to help you get through the process more quickly. Move to Canada. Trump could be persuaded to permit 10 undocumented immigrants to remain for each person who departs the country. Think of all the famous people that pledged to leave the USA you will meet.

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Four years ago, the Democratic’s endorsed Joe Biden, they have worked very hard to try to make all Americans believe he was capable and competent to run our country. After the debate against Trump they realized they could not pull the wool over America’s eyes any longer. They humiliated him by pressuring him to resign and passing the responsibility to Kamala. Handing it to her, not even giving the Democratic Party a primary or any choice. That did not turn out favorably. Trump won. Now they desire his resignation so she can become the first black woman president for the remainder of HIS term. This is shameful; the Democrats involved in this should step down. They believed Kamala, who has accomplished little in the past four years, had a higher chance of defeating Trump, intending to manipulate her. Well, their plan failed! For now, he is the President, I pray they allow him to finish out his term as president. Do not disrespect or degrade him anymore.

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The storm is coming. Donald Trump: Chaos and corruption. America is now AmeriKa – putting into place a fascist regime. Purging the D.O.J., federal workers, generals, and admirals. Dark days ahead: The Constitution? Out the window.

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Trump is now demanding that the future Senate permit recess appointments of hardliners and loyalists to himself, not to our country. That proposal would be too toxic for even the Republicans to support. Trump wants no more shared power with the other two branches of government. He truly wants a total dictatorship. He already has the un-supreme court in his pocket and now he also wants to dictate to control the Senate and House of Representatives. Elon Musk purchased the co-vice presidency for himself. Let’s see how long those two Supreme egos last without butting heads, and when they do, who wins? We already know that the American people will lose. Trump wants total unchecked power. Don’t blame the Democrats for letting the Trump genie out of the bottle. Trump doesn’t want constitutional checks and balances with his lust for power. 

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I am thrilled that President Trump will be our next president, and I am enjoying following the news as he assembles his cabinet. What wonderful, wonderful choices to finally put America first.

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This is a message for Mr. and Mrs. Democrat from Mr. and Mrs. Republican. We put up with Obama for eight years and then four years with Joe Biden. So you should be able to withstand four years of Mr. Trump. Here’s hoping you enjoy the next reasonable four years.

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To the Democrats out there who say this country will turn into a third world country under Donald Trump, you’re full of it! That’s what it has been in the last three years. When he was president, things were thriving. He never tried to imprison or murder his political opponent, and his economy didn’t stink, and there weren’t almost two world wars. And by the way, Biden was president for four years. Remember the eight years under Obama? They were also terrible, so I don’t know what world you Democrats live in, but thank God for Donald Trump. 

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So, it turns out that Trump is going to actually make the government employees show up for work, go to work, and not work from home. Wow, what a novel idea. They actually have to go to work! All this excuse of working at home due to COVID is a bunch of BS. COVID has been over for three years. Go to work and do your job! 

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There’s no room for DEI in our military. 

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Is it just me, or do Democrats seem happy when they’re wearing a mask? 

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Trump is racing to destroy America by nominating unqualified loyalists to ruin our UIN, not run agencies. He will systematically deconstruct our governmental norms, thereby weakening America and, by extension, weakening democracies throughout the world. Russia, China and North Korea will be getting exactly what they bargained for with Trump. 

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Biden / Harris just got inflation down to 2.1% – Target achieved. Economists fear Trump’s tax and tariffs (where he will be picking winners and losers) will spur inflation. Understand other countries don’t pay tariffs, American consumers pay them. Hope you’re happy with high inflation and exploding deficits. 

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The Democrats have a lot of nerve to complain about Trump’s cabinet picks when their cabinet was nothing but a freak show, filled with DEI candidates that were hired only because they checked the right boxes. Give me a break! 

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I am surprised that the Democrats couldn’t believe that their beloved Kamala lost the election. The writing was on the wall. They are so out of touch. However, I must confess I find the blame game entertaining. 

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This is so much fun to watch. Everybody’s doing the Trump dance. They did it on the football team this weekend. The fighters are doing it. They’re doing it in the UK. Everybody loves the man. I suppose I’ll have to learn how to do the Trump dance. He’s already uniting the country. 

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For those of you who voted for the former president and current felon awaiting sentencing, I hope you have some disposable income. If you’re living on a fixed income, get ready to find a part-time job. If you have money invested, you’d better look for a place to hide it because the markets are already heading south. Paris is deporting undocumented workers, which will significantly increase inflation. Good job, y’all. 

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The only people who don’t want reports and investigations revealed are guilty people. Having a felon with 32 convictions nominate a pedophile and drug-promoting individual to lead our law enforcement agencies is absurd. Everybody should be investigated just like all of the other past administrations. They should undergo an FBI background check, just like everyone else. They refuse to sign the necessary conflict of interest, proper behavior, and ethics statement that’s required by all administrations. Talk about a fox in the henhouse. I am unsure if the U.S. can endure another four years of such corruption. 

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When will Oprah leave this country, or is she worried that Steadman won’t follow her?