Readers’ Column for the week of July 13, 2025

You may call The Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2434, extension 2, 24-hours a day, or email comments to ReadersOP@gmail.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any messages. To allow more callers to be heard, please limit your comments to 100 words or fewer. We will not be running comments that exceed this number, give or take five words.

 

Punting; the neglected football skill. Want to change that? Send a text to (607) 321-8210.

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It’s almost 9 o’clock, trying to cool down. Trying to enjoy the outside, but it’s a little hard when people are burning garbage. I mean, literally stinks, so I go back inside where it’s muggy, with no air conditioner or fan. No respect for other people. This is in Nichols; I’m sure other little towns have the same problem. Hopefully other people are keeping cool more easily than I am.

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Where can a person go to buy a nice pair of leather shoes without being a steeled toed? I don’t mean that garbage from Walmart, Indonesia, Japan, China; not that garbage that rips apart in two or three weeks. I want a good pair of work shoes, leather without the steel toes. I can’t stand those steel-toed shoes, and that’s the only thing you can find anywhere. Doesn’t anyone make them?

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I have a question I don’t know the answer to. I have been smelling garbage and people burning garbage. Who do you call about that? Do you annoy the police with this? Who do you call or talk to? It’s really a funky garbage stench; actually, cow poop smells better. It’s really bad, so whom do you talk to? Anybody?

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I am not surprised that the county legislature is not responding to the people asking them to go against the big, beautiful bill, which will cut SNAP emergency funding because this is the same legislature that would never turn against a Republican bill. You can now see why our county doesn’t actually grow. We’ve lost transportation; we have no emergency care north of Owego, we have to pay for our own recycling now. And we don’t have as many businesses or industries. So thank you, Tioga County, for being so kind-hearted.

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I am looking for somebody to do some light yard work and landscaping for me in my backyard. I live in the Village. If somebody can give me a call at (607) 427-9856. If they’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you very much.

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Some people are seeing an economic decline in Owego. Don’t confuse change with decline. The Town, Village, and OACSD are not suffering any decline in property tax revenue. Owego is in better shape than it was prior to the Flood of 2011.

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I was rather stunned to see a letter to the editor in last week’s Pennysaver, signed by Mayor James Tornatore (et al.) of Newark Valley, saying, “The Tioga County Legislature turned a deaf ear to a request.” It is stunning, since Mr. Tornatore has made a career of turning a deaf ear to the residents of the village. Many people who would formerly attend Village Board meetings will no longer attend because they know that nobody will listen to them.

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It has always been about the children. Everything that is happening in our country (and the world) has been about the children. EVERYTHING. Buckle up, folks. Some things that will be revealed will make grown men cry.

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I’ll have what “the football field of water” guy is smoking, please. 

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I used to think the worst of people until I embarrassed myself by assuming incorrectly. While I’m sorry the person who was moving had their baker’s rack stolen from their front yard/curbside, perhaps whoever took it honestly thought it was put out for trash. Also, local businesses that deal in selling or auctioning off used goods routinely scan for trash that may be someone else’s treasure, thus saving items from the landfill. Next time, try buying an inexpensive roll of yellow caution tape or something similar and stake it around curbside/yard items that you are doing something with.

 

National Political Viewpoints

I’m just sitting here laughing, watching Hakeem Jeffries ramble on for over six hours with lie after lie. I swear to God, your party gets crazier by the day. First Pocahontas, Spartacus giving a 24-hour speech, and now this clown giving one too. People have nothing but lies. Look in the mirror; you’re really mad because Trump is succeeding so much and is so popular now; you just get more and more desperate. Keep it up; it’s going to make it easier to get more Republicans in office.

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Just some info for you people who voted last election. Go through your Internet and type in Rockland County, New York, voter fraud, and you will get a lot of answers about what’s wrong with this country. Please do it.

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To the person who wrote about people at the King March complaining and yelling. Actually, there was very little yelling, and we are kind people. I look back at Jan. 6 and there was a lot of yelling, a lot of use of the American flag to poke and spear people with. So don’t even talk to me about being kinder and helping people; look at the new bill, the big beautiful bill that was passed by Trump. Is that going to help people? Oh, it will help his buddies for sure.

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I would like to correct something: Donald Trump said today that under Joe Biden, enrollment in the military plummeted. Well, the fact of the matter is, if you look it up, it rose 12 percent. So once again, look up everything he says. But beyond that, I decided to look up the signers of the Declaration of Independence; almost every one of them was a migrant or the direct child of a migrant, all of whom came here for freedom. When they signed the Declaration of Independence, they were willing to give up their lives for freedom in this country. 

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By the way, all you fear-mongering Democrats out there, the only people who are going to lose their Medicaid are illegal aliens and people who aren’t qualified to have it. Okay? Anybody that deserves it is going to get it, so stop your lying.

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To the person concerned about the flags and Lady Liberty covering her face: It’s not because of Biden; those flags would have been up when Biden was president. It’s because of what Trump is doing to this country. She’s hurt; she’s very unhappy and sad. 

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So now the Democrats are instructing people to attack ICE agents. You’ve got to be kidding me! Just when you thought they couldn’t sink any lower, they go lower. You people really better get your act together or you’ll never get elected again. You are very pathetic and full of hate and on the right side of the wrong side of every issue.

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I think all the ladies on The View should go home, pack their bags, and get to Texas to see what they can do to help with the flood instead of complaining about what is trying to be done.

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What about illegals do people not get? If they’re illegal, they’re wrong to be in this country. They have many, many years to get citizenship, and it was up to them to do it the right way. Trump is strict and people are not used to that. We really need to buckle down on them and they need to do what’s right. That is their responsibility.

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in a large group. — Alfred E. Neuman

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Remember when Democrats voted to fine us if we didn’t have health insurance and then gave it to illegal immigrants for free?

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You do realize that the eight million people losing Medicaid and the three million losing SNAP benefits are not entitled to those benefits in the first place. Thank you, Autopen Joe.

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Remember the politics and hate MAGA spewed over Helene, N.C., and California disasters. The crying never stopped. Their help never came. We’ll see how much help Trump provides to flooded Texas. With all the DOGE and tariff money, it should be a cakewalk. Time to put your big boy pants on. Remember, it’s America first!

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During a record influx, the Biden Administration was able to deport 4.6 million illegal immigrants. President Obama got 5.3 million deported. They didn’t need to take kids out of their high schools or stage SWAT raids on a Home Depot. They didn’t have their Homeland Security Secretary dress up for staged raids in front of TV cameras. They didn’t have to bring in the Marines or National Guards without a state request (last done in 1965). By the way, do the all-important states’ rights only apply to states that Mr. Trump likes?