Readers’ Column for the week of February 22, 2026

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.

 

Does anybody know if it’s true or not? I have been told that there is a new funeral home coming to the Village of Owego, along with a crematory, and it is possibly located in the historic district. I’m not sure whether that’s legal or not, but it would be interesting. I just wonder if anybody knows about this and if it’s legal to have a crematory in a historic village. Thank you.

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If you think your NYSEG bill is high now, wait until they raise rates on delivery charges, which equals about another $30 a month more. Please write to your Governor Hochul and tell her enough is enough and to start looking out for her constituents in the highly taxed NY state. I hear electric rates in Florida are much cheaper because they burn coal.

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I hope that when all you folks who seem to adore our governor get your NYSEG bill, you rethink your support when it comes time to vote, since these egregious bills are largely due to state-mandated policies.

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Well, Mama Gump may have had trouble picking out chocolates; at least she wasn’t the kid in school who ate the paste.

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I keep hearing all these horror stories about utility bills doubling and more this year because of the cold weather. I know it’s been super cold, gas and transportation costs are up, and I waited to see my bill. To my surprise, it was less than a 50% increase from the same period last year. So why are there so many of these stories? Did you all sign up for the Save the Planet utility programs? Someone has to pay for these wind and solar farms. You can all breathe easier now. 

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Can anyone please recommend a person in the area who could replaster a ceiling? Thank you.

 

National Political Viewpoints

Our current Secretary of the Navy has never served in the military, has never served in the Navy, is an art collector of disreputable pictures and paintings; people can’t even post them online. And yet, he is our Secretary of the Navy because he was a big donor to Donald Trump. That’s all it takes. 

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Eliminate sanctuary cities and then eliminate sanctuary states. This country will be a whole lot better off.

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HUGE SHIFT: January’s deficit just fell to $95 BILLION, a 26% decrease from last year. Revenue climbed 9%. Spending rose just 2%. Tariff revenue surged to $27.7B, nearly four times pre-tariff levels. Year-to-date deficit is down 17%. That’s not spin; that’s math. For months, critics said the numbers would spiral. Instead, revenue is up, spending growth is restrained, and the deficit is narrowing. Whether you support the policies or not, this is a major fiscal development worth paying attention to. 

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Please explain to the public why your paper is so biased against the Republicans and prints stupid Democratic lies. Explain that to the public!

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Did you think I was lying about the money on the driver’s license and the point system? Think about this: you can reduce your points by enrolling in one of their classes; it all costs money. Every one of those things costs you money! Tell me again how wrong I am. It’s all money. New York State is so bad. It’s another California, just a smaller California. That’s all! The same idiots, same politicians you’ve got!

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All these shootings that are taking place, folks, the only way it’s going to end is when they take all your guns. That’s what this is all about. They want all your guns. They’ve already made it so tough to get ammo; it’s disgusting. Once they’ve got your guns, you might as well say goodbye because it’s all done. You will be a robot, and that’s the end of the story. That’s just what they’re all going to do. It’s the democratic way. It’s called the new way for the Democrats: my way or no way.

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You don’t take those electricity prices to Hochul! She’s the one who gave them two increases. So far, they’ve received two increases from your governor in New York State, but they want to cover it up and say it’s Trump’s tariffs. Bologna! Hogwash! It is your governor that gave them two increases and they’re trying for a third! I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t give it to them. Put the blame where the blame belongs!

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Democracy, Humanity will prosper and grow, develop, evolve… “E Pluribus Unum” – Out of Many, One.

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You know, it really irks me, all these other countries with these people being exposed to the Epstein files. They know Epstein is a rapist, involved in sex trafficking, and they’re trying to cover it up because Trump’s involved. Yet, Trump’s name is mentioned more than anybody else’s in these files,, and they refuse to even mention him. They took his pictures out of it, and they show everybody but him. What is wrong with this country? What is wrong with the people in this country?

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“Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.” (Khalil Gibran) Who in your family braved coming to America so you could benefit? What were they escaping from? Who gave them shelter and food? Who gave them a chance to live with dignity and for you or your children to have the opportunities you have? We are in crucial times. Don’t just sit there; how can you lend a hand to those now in need?

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“Project Salt Box.” Please look this up online. ICE is buying up warehouses across the country to make them into Trump’s Detention Centers. Nearly 71,000 people are currently being held in these centers, including children (2-14 years old), young adults, the disabled and ill, and grandparents. Lacking food and medical services; denied freedom. Are they the “worst of the worst,” as Trump, Noem, Miller, and Homan call them? Please look online for “Project Salt Box” to see if they’re coming for you next, whether you’re a citizen or not. And do something.

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Why are my tax dollars going up? Why are they spending even more of my hard earned money? I thought they were supposed to reduce my taxes and give me more money?  Now they are spending even more on ICE? I heard they just bought some warehouses for a billion dollars? That is super wasteful spending! What is going on? Stop funding those thugs and give me back my money.

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The definition of ignorance is the lack of knowledge or information. Reading this column is a good example and appalling. It is so easy now to verify the truth by doing a little research, reading speech transcripts, etc., that it’s disgusting to read. Recent examples: 1: ICE didn’t jail a two or five year old. 2: no taxpayer money is going to the ballroom. 3: No Minnesotans were murdered; two people died because of violent riots, which were not caused by ICE but by the encouragement of local politicians.

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Another shooting in our country. This time at a skating rink in Rhode Island. Please contact state and federal representatives to get them working on sensible gun legislation. We are NOT coming for your guns, but we do need sensible gun legislation so that incidents like this do not continue to happen.

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Chuck Schumer and Democrats have shut down the government until at least the State of the Union address. This time, they have made 10 unrealistic demands that they won’t even debate. They wanted ICE, CBP, etc. to wear cameras. The government agreed and got the cameras; now they don’t want them. This time, the people who won’t get paid while working are the Coast Guard, TSA agents, FEMA, and the Secret Service. SECRET service doesn’t matter because they want our POTUS gone anyway.

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A reader asked, “When was the last time conservatives turned over cars, rioted, looted, etc.?” Well, Jan. 6, 2021 comes to mind. Oh – wait – they were all pardoned by Trump because they were patriots. Right. Silly me.

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Last week’s Pennysaver featured a viewpoint that conservatives were never violent. I Googled “list of right-wing attacks” and got an immediate list of 18 major violent events by conservatives/right wing, starting with Timothy McVeigh to recent synagogue bombings.

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I’m so glad I’m no longer a “member” of a political party. The hypocrisy is absolutely astounding. In a less harmful example from some, the condemnation of the current president renaming everything, including memorial buildings and natural features. How is that any different from renaming sports teams, local parks, etc.? All this inconsequential posturing while we still have no cure for cancer; thousands are being killed in wars; people are sick, starving, and homeless; cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death worldwide, proving to me, at least, that ALL politicians are only thinking of number one.

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Has the person who thinks democrats aren’t being polite enough to the king ever listened to what comes out of his mouth?