Readers’ Column for the week of December 29, 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.

If you are struggling with drinking during the holidays, AA is always available to help. Call the AA Hotline in Tioga County, N.Y. at 1-800-307-4285.

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Vaccines do not cause autism. The rise in the number of children being diagnosed these days is attributed to increased medical research and awareness. For those of you who believe vaccines are dangerous, I urge you to remember the children who were very ill and died before vaccines were developed. My siblings and I were severely ill with mumps, measles, and whooping cough during our childhood. Additionally, we were acquainted with an individual who was paralyzed by polio. Therefore, please do not believe the misinformation spread by wealthy con men.

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I received a postcard today from Veolia, who recently raised our water bills by a double-digit percentage. I’m in my 70’s and have finally retired after starting work at age 16 and many years of 5:30 a.m. start times. I’m glad I can retire, but finances are tight. On this postcard, there is a list of people who receive other “benefits” that are eligible for a discount on their water bill. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include me. But if companies continue increasing prices to compensate for discounts given to some, soon individuals like us “on the edge” will also need to enroll in benefits. Who will be left to pay the over-inflated prices? By the way, my dad was a WWII veteran. He, and so many others, were the sole support of large (baby boomer) families after the war. The sole “benefit” he obtained as a veteran was his (affordable) grave marker.

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I heard a rumor that the Village of Newark Valley is considering purchasing property on Rewey Avenue. If this is accurate, it would be beneficial to inform residents and taxpayers about the reasons for funding (grant money) and the amount involved. Remember, a few years ago, they raised our taxes, and one of the reasons given was that the property on Brook Street was coming off the tax rolls.

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This year’s Village of Newark Valley budget process seemed to be a little off. First, they were going to have a Board meeting on Dec. 10, where we could have at least initiated a conversation about the budget, but then it was canceled. No reason given why! Then it was moved to Dec. 17, where we received a copy and had a few minutes to look over, ask questions, then were asked for any more questions before they voted to pass it. The increase is 1.5%; not bad, but they could have given us a few days to review, then vote.

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I heard that the Walgreens in Owego is closing next month. Does anyone know anything about this?

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My family and I were out the other day, and we would like to thank Santa Claus in Nichols for bringing smiles to all of our faces. We would also like to give a big shout-out to the Hullsville Road family for all the lights; once again, they have truly outdone themselves. We love it every year. Thank you again, guys. Everybody have a Merry Christmas.

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A huge shout out to the Newark Valley Student Council members who put on a pancake breakfast for the senior citizens. The food was fabulous. The entertainment was wonderful, and the waiters and waitresses did an excellent job of taking care of every person. It was a great time! 

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Last night, I had the privilege of seeing “A Christmas Carol” at the Cider Mill. It is a wonderful play, and I would encourage everyone to go see it. Merry Christmas!

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Another highway worker from the Town of Owego resigned or transferred to a different department. This makes over 10 in the past three years. Common denominator? I think it’s time for a change!

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I agree with last week’s caller. The Open Door Mission in Owego is a treat. They have a beautiful, organized store with all kinds of merchandise at bargain prices. Michael and Stacey are more than nice. Today, just before Christmas, they featured live music, and they sang Christmas carols and more. What a pleasure the store is. Thanks Owego for having such a great place. Merry Christmas!

National Political Viewpoints

Much of America and virtually all Republicans hold Mr. Biden responsible for our inflation. The U.S. spiked to a very painful 8.3-8.7% during the 2022 post-COVID recovery, and we are still feeling its effects. Currently, we are at 2.7%. For comparison, all 27 countries in the European Union also experienced their highest inflation in 40 years in 2022, surpassing ours. Similarly, on the other side of the world, New Zealand also saw its highest inflation in 40 years. Do you think this is Mr. Biden’s fault as well? In fact, world inflation went from 1.9% during the COVID slowdown to a record 8+% in 2022. Argentina’s inflation is DOWN to 100%. Turkey is now at 48%, down from 73% in 2022. The inflation spike, like COVID, was a worldwide phenomenon.

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“After the House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release its report on him, former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz defended himself in a post on X yesterday and said his behavior was ‘embarrassing, though not criminal.’ Just too bad he can no longer use that as a campaign slogan.” — Seth Meyers

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The Democrats keep complaining about how terrible tariffs are. Well, if that is the case, why do we have a 100% tariff on electric cars made in China?

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In 1933 the Marx Brothers starred in a film entitled “Duck Soup,” in which Groucho Marx, as Rufus T. Firefly became the President of the country of Freedonia. Chico and Harpo act as spies for Freedonia’s enemy, Sylvania. The film features a classic mirror scene that is genius – 92 years later.

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Trump is bringing Russian style oligarchy to our government with him appointing a dozen or so billionaires, not millionaires, but billionaires to prominent positions. They will be taking care of their interests, not ours. You didn’t know you voted for that, did you?

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It appears that President-elect Musk has instructed Donald J. Trump to reject the bipartisan continuing resolution stopgap measure that could have prevented a government shutdown. Our democracy is turning into a Russian-style oligarchy dictatorship. Stay tuned for more of democracy’s destruction by the MAGA camp. Well, let’s see if this one gets published.

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For those of you who wanted a Republican government, congratulations, as they have shut the government down and expect people to work without pay. All those who voted that way, remember that you have done this to our country. They’re not interested in helping Americans; they are only interested in causing grief, frustration, and dominance over normal, hard-working Americans.

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Trump isn’t even in office yet, but he and his non-elected boss, Elon Musk, are causing chaos in Congress, almost shutting down our government just before the holidays. The spending bill passed with Democrats solidly supporting it, but Trump was able to remove funding for childhood cancer research while preserving additional tax cuts for the wealthy. Hopefully, Republican voters will realize they have voted for the rich to get richer at the expense of everyday, ordinary Americans.