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. Please limit your comments to 100 words or fewer.
Regarding Tioga County’s budget, one of the claims often made in explaining the issue of why property taxes are rising is that NYS mandates make up a large percentage of the property tax levy. (In fact, for 2026’s tentative budget, the claim is that those services, totaling about $30 million, make up 113.36% of the levy.) However, what seems to be missing in the calculation is how the state and federal aid and County Sales Tax (which totals about $45 million) might be used to pay for those services, and hence lower that percentage considerably.
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Glad to hear that Tioga County has the money to buy property for a million plus and has the money to renovate, and tells the taxpayers what good stewards they are with our tax dollars. But they still insist that we pay a 3% tax on our energy needs. Another property off the tax rolls!
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A kind woman left us a note of appreciation for the holiday lights we put up on Taylor Road in Owego but unfortunately, we found her note lying in the snow near our porch door, and her contact information was smeared. We’d love to thank her if she could reach out again. We do know that her name is Jamie.
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Governor Hochul, please explain why eliminating gas appliances in favor of electric ones is a good thing when currently most of New York State’s electricity is produced using natural gas. You’ve shut down nuclear; hydro isn’t sufficient at this point. I’ve read that you could cover all available land in the state with (expensive, maintenance-heavy, and renewable nightmare) windmills and solar panels, and still not be able to meet all the electric needs of the state.
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“It’s a stance that resonates at a time when more than 1 million state ratepayers are behind at least two months on gas and electric bills that are two to three times larger than they’ve been in prior years. Grassroots movements in Rochester and the Hudson Valley are calling for the elimination of privately run utilities.” (Climate advocates are unhappy with the electric plan’s delayed start.) — USA Network. December 21, 2025
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In response to the reader who asked, “How bad are the schools?” It’s not the schools; employers don’t want cashiers to do math. Everything is done for them; the screen tells them how many quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies ( along with a visual). If you pay in cash, they give your change back in a lump, without counting it back to you. Even worse, if you noticed a mistake, not even a thank you! We’re giving up our ability to think for convenience.
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I have checked the Pennysaver over and over, and nothing has been said about the HEAP applications that people have put in months ago. I know it was held up for a while, but then the governor said no, it was opened up now. But we still haven’t heard anything. I would certainly appreciate some kind of update on it. Uh, we’re getting into bitter cold weather now, and we’re getting a little bit nervous about our HEAP allowances. Thank you.
National Political Viewpoints
Imagine, if you will, a world where people believe that the temperature of the planet can be controlled by giving more money to the government. — Mama Gump
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I might be old, but I remember when we fought against communists instead of electing them. — Studebaker Hawk
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The Republicans have had 30 years to come up with a health care plan, ever since they disparaged Hillary Clinton for trying to get one passed. They have come up with NOTHING. After listening to several interviews from members of the administration last weekend, I’m convinced that anything bad that happens in the next three years will be the fault of Joe Biden. I’m sure of this because the Republicans are responsible for NOTHING.
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And then there were the redactions. So much of the material was redacted that, in front of television cameras, Jake Tapper of CNN scrolled through an entirely blacked-out 100-page document on his phone and said, “That’s the transparency we’re getting here.” — Heather Cox Richardson. December 20, 2025
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Trump has reached a new low even for him; he had plaques installed under the presidential portraits with his own twisted version of history, along with the usual name-calling. In my 75 years, I have never been ashamed of our president until Trump was elected. His childish behavior, racial slurs, vindictiveness, and bullying are an embarrassment to the once dignified office. The cabinet members of TV personalities, bloggers, and those supporting him only make the situation worse; some were former rivals who had nothing nice to say about him, yet now they support every word that comes out of his mouth.
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Democrats today are saying no one, even the president, is above the law; so our question is, how come illegal aliens are? — Melvin T. Loophole
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“In a new interview with Vanity Fair, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles confirmed that President Trump is mentioned in the Epstein files. Yeah, I’ll bet. If I had to guess, he’s mentioned in the Epstein files like the whale is mentioned in ‘Moby-Dick’ – every other page.” — Seth Meyers
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Democrats, instead of constantly bashing the president, why don’t you concentrate on getting Hochul out of office before she does any more damage to our state?
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Donald Trump would be an all right president if he would just shut up.
No airline flights?
Fly windmills!
Cook greeniacs for roughage.
Then crack their nogs down the twirlet.
I realize, “I told you so” isn’t a great way to go but I’m starting the new year with it. Do you understand how frustrating it’s been trying to tell Americans what’s going on, showing you the evidence only to wind up putting an admitted serial predator in the Oval Office. Extremely frustrating is putting it lightly.
*I hope the reader’s column editor understands why I was so angry about allowing fox propaganda network lies in the local reader’s column. I’ll guarantee you most of those lies were coming from Republican propagandists outside our community, maybe even led by a someone like Stefanik.
*I told you moses Mike Johnson was the biggest liar and the most phoney Christian in the Republican Party.
*I told you several times we’d be at war with Venezuela.
*Trump is planning on giving the Pacific theater to, Xi,
*Europe goes to Russia,
*Kim gets South Korea,
*America is in the beginning of trying to conquer every country in the western hemisphere. From Greenland to Argentina.
*I told you about the insanity of a grandfather of Felon Musk wanting to conquer the western hemisphere.
*Do you believe in coincidence, I don’t.
*Musk came back to Trump’s regime as Hegseth is implementing his grandfather’s plan to conquer the western hemisphere.
**Please stop using media outlets that paid millions of dollars to Dominion Voting Systems for knowingly and maliciously lying about the 2020 election,
*Right-wing podcasters that parrot fox are too stupid for you to trust for current events or complicit in Trump’s plot to overthrow America for himself.
*I told you the Trump regime would be all about the billionaires.
*I told you Jack Smith had the evidence to convict trump for trying to overthrow America. Please get with your MAGA friends to watch the Jack Smith deposition. Make a day of it.
If you do watch the video it might help if you download the transcript also. I’m going to start putting important times from that deposition here. Not to give you what I want you to see, feel free to watch the video yourself, it’s over 8 hours.
*Trump told you, “I don’t care about you, only your vote”there’s video.
*I advised you to look at Mike Lee telling billionaire donors he’s going to rip Social Security out by its roots” There’s video.
*Ask the encyclopedia in your phone which Republicans say they want to end Social Security. There’s several videos of those Republicans.
* I constantly keep you up to date on Trump’s involvement with Epstein and Maxwell.
I knew the Republican lies about Dems running a global cabal of child molesters was the opposite of reality, I knew Q was a bunch of brainwashed Americans who actually distracted from the truth in the Epstein files. Most intentionally and guided by lies from the right-wing echo chamber, beginning with fox.
*I told you Republicans involved with Epstein were making”projection confessions” billionaire Republican donors lead the global cabal.
*There’s a list of over 80 Republican politicians being arrested for some type of crime involving children. It went from having child porn to making it,,to the worst crimes against children you can think of. It may still be on some social media platforms. I’m pretty sure Felon Musk scrubbed Twitter of that list.
The Epstein files are a case of the Boy Who Cried Wolf backfiring in an extraordinary fashion, right in the face of the actual culprits. The plot to blame Dems for what trump was doing with Epstein has backfired , it may be the thing that saves America.
I’ve never been worried about our future as a nation until now. I’m very worried.
We’re in grave danger of losing America.
If you had the evidence to prove you’re innocent of crimes against children, wouldn’t you immediately release the Epstein files? I beat the Epstein files like a dead horse, it is the first chink in Trump’s Teflon coating.
Trump has known he was committing crimes with Epstein while him and his propaganda machines wouldn’t drop the Epstein files. Here we are.
Bongino, a Trump sycophant and propagandist said he’ll never recover from what he say in the Epstein files. If it was full of Dem names, Bongino would be jumping for joy, instead of his statement.
MAGA, I hope you’re calling your Reps.
I told you what DUI Hegseth was going to do, we’re now at war with Venezuela.
Hegseth authorized the use of a Blackhawk helicopter to assault an apartment building in Chicago.
Go to a grade school, Trump’s gestapo kidnapped and put zip ties on children after the Blackhawk assault.
THEY MADE NO ARRESTS!!
Those were AMERICAN CHILDREN in zip ties in the back of a box truck. Or immigrants going through the legal immigration process.
MAGA, this is your fault. There was too much evidence of Trump’s criminality to ignore.
The reason many MAGA were turned into traitors against their own best interests, the right-wing echo chamber this reader’s column allows in our community discourse.
Allowing propaganda is our main problem.
This is long, I’m going to try to explain how the right-wing media sphere brainwashed millions of Americans. I’ll be breaking this comment into segments. Please use the encyclopedia in your phone to fact check me. I do not lie or exaggerate things. I do make mistakes and correct them ASAP.
Trump admitted this attack was for the maniacal grandfather of Felon Musk.
Once he said “Monroe Doctrine” he told America he will take control of every ally in the western hemisphere.
There’s treasonous, rogue military leaders carrying out murder for Felon Musk and trump.
Kegsbreath, we have zero, no respect for the orange menace in the Oval Office!!!
Great job MAGA.
A perfect example of MAGA politicians using the Bible to radicalize Americans against your fellow Americans came from Boebert on a stage in front a room full of MAGA Christians.
Boebert, proudly and confidently stated, Jesus Christ would be alive today if Jesus had enough “AR-15s to stop the government from killing Jesus”
That must be from the same Bible that has exceptions to the 10 Commandments. There’s a video of Boebert, it would be hilarious if she wasn’t radicalizing Americans against their fellow Americans.
*Thou shalt not lie unless,,, you’re lying for your strange orange god in the Oval Office¿ The Republican Party is abusing the speech and debate clause so much, millions of Americans can not pass a current events test about the Trump regime.
*Thou shalt not kill unless you’re doing murder for your strange orange god, trump.
*Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. Trump just murdered innocent Venezuelan civilians to steal Venezuela because Trump covets the oil reserves and rare earth metals that are the GOODS of the Venezuelan people.
If you watched CBS, ABC or NBC Sunday news, keep this in mind when evaluating Trump regime liars saying this kidnapping is about drug trafficking. Trump has pardoned 3 drug traffickers that were convicted in America.
*Alice Johnson ran a drug trafficking ring. Kim and Kanye influenced that pardon.
*Hernandez promised to smuggle enough cocaine he’d create drug addicts in America. He smuggled 400 TONS of cocaine to create drug addicts in America.
*Owner/operator of the drug trafficking website, Silk Road,, I think his name is Ulbricht. It’s something like that. Look up Silk Road if you want to fact check me on the name.
Did you know Republican Party regime change in Iraq cost around $9 trillion to date. Trump lied about Maduro’s vice president. She wants Maduro released immediately.
The W. regime had planned the steps after we got Saddam, Trump’s regime like looked like a deer in headlights every time they were asked who is running Venezuela, now. Is America going to run Venezuela. Stammering followed that question.
I just realized God is so pro life, God sent 2 female bears out to maul a bunch of children to death because of the grave crime of making fun of a bald prophet’s head.
That’s another Bible story with 1 interpretation, God used bears to murder children who were doing kid stuff by making fun of a bald prophet. I believe in God and Jesus, that 3,500 year old book written by Jewish people, not so much. Zionist Christians changed the name of the Holy Lands between 1905 and 1913. When people say Palestine never existed, it was always called, Israel, it’s a lie.
Same with the story of Lot, one interpretation. God told Lot to get an abortion if his wife was carrying another man’s child.
Talibangelical preachers used abortion to cross the line between church and state. I’m not sure that matters anymore.
It may be too late to stop the Trump regime. This is the first and only time I’ve said that.
Watch some nazi documentaries on YouTube.
Watch the Godfather 2. The part in Cuba. That’s where we’re headed very quickly.
Republicans know all the gerrymandering in the world can’t help them.
fox is state run media at this point.
If anyone reading this sent money to Glenn Beck for a Canadian woman lying about assisted suicide in Canada, please call the State Police. I can’t report it because I didn’t lose money.
Dr Oz is involved in that fraud scheme. Glenn Beck has harmed people in my family using lies like this. Glenn Beck’s lies and propaganda has harmed millions of American families.
The introduction to the video is all the evidence you need.
It says a Canadian with a curable disease has been forced into assisted suicide because of Canadian Drs.
Assisted suicide can not be used for Canadians with a curable illness.
Glenn says 2 of the 3 Drs needed for the Canadian woman to use assisted suicide said, yes. That’s literally defamation of Canadian Drs treating her.
On YouTube, Type, Glenn Beck/Canadian woman/assisted suicide and you can see exactly what I’m saying.
To the rude state trooper dispatcher I spoke to this morning. Yes, you voted for this by not voting against trump.
It’s called voting against your own best interests by default, ma’am.
Our troubles just got worse. Our local CBS talked like America needs Greenland for national security. Felon Musk influenced that.
They spoke about the Minnesota daycare fraud without giving it context. Bari Weiss is against free speech and running CBS. You should find the 60 Minutes segment Weiss cancelled recently. It was hard to find, CBS tried to scrub it from the Internet. It’s there. We’re all guilty of abusing immigrants going through the legal immigration process. You’ll understand why Bari Weiss, trump sycophant, is hiding that. We’re doing Hitler stuff to immigrants going through the legal immigration process.
Here’s some facts.
*The case started in 2015 by the Obama DOJ.
*The case went dormant in Trump’s first term.
*Biden DOJ indicted over 70 with 57 convictions.
**Nick Shirley lied.
This started when open daycares kept their outer doors locked during hours of operation. Nick Shirley put on a bunch of frenzied drama at locked daycare centers.
I don’t know about you, after Sandy Hook I would NEVER trust a daycare that didn’t lock outer doors during hours of operation.
Nick Shirley and his mother are known scam artists. They have records proving that. Ask the encyclopedia in your phone about Nick Shirley and his mom.
An American woman was murdered by Trump’s nazi gestapo! Nick Shirley and his mother lied about the daycare fraud not being investigated. DEI hire Noem sent 2,000 agents to Minnesota to distract from everything Trump is destroying in America. On drama queen Nick Shirley lies! How many do they get to murder before everyone feels like the mayor who lost a citizen to gestapo murder, he told Trump’s gestapo to get the f out, now? How is this happening in America?
Recently I’ve been asking what Americans would do if, say, Russia, China and the UK displaced 750,000 New Yorkers because a 3,500 year old book written by Jewish people said God gave those homes to Jewish people over 2,000 years ago. My answer, I’d fight just like Hamas, minus the terrorism, of course.
In the 80s I knew nothing about the 1948 NAKBA. I was as angry with Palestinians as i am with zionists of every denomination. I see no difference between a Catholic, Christian or Jewish zionist.
No God would say thou shalt not kill, then write a book giving Jewish people the right to kill anyone who is not Jewish in the Holy Lands.
Christian zionists changed the Christian Bible between 1905 and 1913.
The 1905 Bible called the Holy Lands Palestine. They produced a new Bible 8 years later. That Bible changed the Holy Lands to Israel.
Being antisemitic and being against netanyahu’s genocide in Palestine are far from the same thing.
Being anti American and saying, EXPLETIVE, Trump’s gestapo,, again, not the same.
I make it a point to call Jewish zionists nazis, they know what happened when Hitler sent Jewish people to Poland.
How does a Jewish person volunteer to kidnap immigrants going through the legal immigration process?
What kind of Jewish person would continue to support Trump’s gestapo when they’re sending immigrants to other countries? Countries they’ve never been and in a concentration camp type prison?
That’s all happening right now. Use the encyclopedia in your phone to fact check me, please.
When Trump’s gestapo kidnap an immigrant after leaving court with a future appearance date, Noem acknowledged, the gestapo are breaking the law. Watch, Noem hearing/asylum application. That should get that part of her confirmation hearing on YouTube.