Readers’ Column for the week of May 24, 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. We will not run comments that cannot be cut down to 100 words.

I want to see a Lockheed helicopter fly over! I want to see a bunch of them, all loud and low. Rotary Mission Systems, if you please! Lockheed Martin, Owego, New York control tower, are you there? Can you arrange a big, beautiful flyover, say a big circle, from launch control in Owego, Endicott, Johnson City, all over? You know, a big circle; set the date, time, etc. of the flyover, and I think a lot of people would like to see it.

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Why would establishments that cook for the elderly, disabled, and crippled put vinegar, spices, and hard food in casseroles? Elderly people have a hard time chewing and do not like spicy seasoning in their food.

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I would like to wish Jody and Dave Seaver of the Community Shop a very happy and well-deserved retirement.

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I think it’s very appropriate to have Patrick Gavin as the grand marshal for this year’s strawberry festival parade. He has done so much for the community: refurbishing the fireman’s statue, getting funds, et cetera, to build the enclosure for the steam engine. Very deserving, thank you very much.

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I just moved back to Tioga County and I really enjoy reading the Owego Pennysaver. It has improved and has so much good information about what’s going on in the community. I really appreciate it.

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Has anybody asked the question: why do we need all AI Centers all over the country? I would like to know. Does anyone know?

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If you were in a burning building, and a firefighter said there’s only one way out, follow me. How would you respond? Why would you respond any differently when Jesus says, “There’s only one way, follow me.” Jesus is not trying to force you; He’s trying to rescue you.

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These parents who are letting ten year olds drive a side by side are crazy.

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Is unauthorized use of a credit card in NYS a misdemeanor or a felony?

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Say NO to mega solar companies before our state becomes one big solar panel!

National Political Viewpoints

Here’s where your tax dollars are going to build the ballroom, which started out at $200 million, and donors were supposed to pay for it. Now it’s $100 million of taxpayers’ money. Kind of like the border wall that Mexico was going to pay for. Remember? Who’s going to pay for the wall? Mexico. And also, your taxpayer money for the day long prayer services. I don’t mind prayer services; I am a Christian. What they are promoting is not Christian ideals, none of them have Christian ideals. So, I do not want my money paying for that. 

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You are absolutely correct in giving the Democrats credit for Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, the Affordable Care Act, unemployment insurance, and the like. But what you failed to mention is all the fraud money entwined in these programs. I, along with millions of other taxpayers, am happy to hear that the Republicans want to reduce and even write off some of these programs. They’ve been in existence too long. People have learned how to use the system. The fraud is unbelievable, and I can no longer afford to pay for it. 

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What do Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have in common? They both underestimated their enemy.

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The writing is on the wall. Trump’s going to sell Taiwan down the river. He’s not going to support them if China attacks, just as Trump didn’t support Ukraine when Russia attacked.

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It was quite a surprise today to get a message from the Owego Apalachin School District reminding me about the budget vote. In their notice, they stated, “Please, in order to vote, you have to bring a picture for voter ID.” So, this is a contradiction for all these people, locally and nationally, who are against photo ID. That’s all I have to say. Good day.

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Trump is right about elections being stolen and rigged, we’re watching it right now as he and the Republicans rig the next elections. They’re not even trying to hide it, with gerrymandering all over the place. I’m not nearly as concerned about Iran having a nuclear bomb as I am about Trump posting pictures of himself gleefully pushing the red button, getting such an excitement out of it. This man is a lunatic! 

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I can’t wait until November when I can vote all these MAGA Republicans out of office! They care more about keeping their job than they care about our country.

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I feel very sorry for our next President of the United States. He basically is going to have to clean up all this mess that Trump started.

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I read that Ukraine is pushing back on Russia. They’ve actually gained back territory that the Russians had taken. It looks like Ukraine might make it after all, even without Donald Trump’s help. Thank God for the European countries that have come to their aid. Trump pretty much blamed Ukraine for the war. Everybody knows Russia invaded Ukraine. Again, it’s the same old stuff. What does Vladimir Putin have on Donald Trump? Must be something good!

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Trump is so rude to reporters who want him to answer questions. Can you believe that? Answer questions! And in particular, the female reporters. He calls them dumb, low IQ, everything in the book. Keep going, reporters. Although at this point, I would just stop. He lies through the whole interview anyway. 

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A letter to the Editor last week was entitled, “What Happened to Patriotism.” It seems like a couple of things killed it. 1. Schools stopped teaching the truth about socialism, communism, Marxism, and Nazism. People use those words a lot now, but incorrectly. 2.  Politicians began hating anyone who disagreed with them, and focused on and spread it around like hate is their entire platform, which it may just be. These things will be the death of The USA. No country can flourish when one party refuses to support it and hates everything and everyone who supports it.

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Last week, a reader quoted The Daily Beast, which essentially stated that Trump was lying about the Iran War. The journalist quoted provides no specifics whatsoever. Today’s and past wars include information warfare. Don’t you love it when unknowledgeable and uneducated self-appointed experts criticize what they don’t understand.

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A recent letter to the Editor suggested that non-millionaires are jealous of millionaires (and billionaires). It’s not about jealousy. It’s about fairness and equity. Millionaires and billionaires often pay little or no taxes, while people working two and three jobs pay taxes while trying to make ends meet. People like Elon Musk are the biggest welfare recipients on the planet. Mr. Musk gets $78 billion from the Federal government.

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Trump called for another Civil War (Ft. Bragg, 6/2025). Check his track record: He pardoned the insurrectionists who maimed and killed Capitol Police on Jan. 6, 2021, during the Riot on the U.S. Capitol. He’s building his Proud Boy and Oath Keeper Army again, trying to fund it with a $1.7 Billion devious deal. Who will they attack next? His obliging Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, favoring Southern Republicans. Does he have you hating Democracy? Will you stand against Injustice or fall for it? Do you keep Trump’s Hate alive, or will you uphold Democracy and free and fair Elections?

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“My beautiful Christians…” Trump said in 2024 to sway you for your vote. “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians,” during his July 26, 2024, “Believers Summit” speech. He then added, “In four years, you don’t have to vote anymore, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.” Look it up online. He’s a thief, and he’s stealing you blind.

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Foreign policy scholar Robert Kagan ranked the Iran debacle as worse than Vietnam. There will be no going back to a world in which the Strait of Hormuz is open, he writes. Iran is now a key player in the region, China and Russia are strengthened, and the U.S. is “substantially diminished.” Anyone can see that “just a few weeks of war with a second-rank power” drastically reduced American weapons stocks, opening the way for aggression from China or Russia, while “the conflict has revealed an America that is unreliable and incapable of finishing what it started.” — Heather Cox Richardson

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“I vote with Republicans 91 percent of the time. And the 9 percent I don’t, they’re taking up for pedophiles, starting another war, or bankrupting our country.” — Thomas Massie

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Mr. Shortino totally misses the point as he promotes the typical conservative trickle-down belief that the wealthy benefit all of us. However, the problem is not that there are those wealthier than more than 99% of the population, but that they don’t have an effective tax rate proportionate to their income. This was fortunately brought to light by ProPublica on June 8, 2021 in their article exposing “How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax.” When it comes to tax fairness for supporting the general welfare, the apologists for the wealthy have long demanded that Robinhood leave the building. Don’t be shortsighted, look it up.