Readers’ Column for the week of August 23, 2020

You may call the Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2378 24-hours a day, or email comments to readerscolumn@stny.rr.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message. 

Thank you so much to the community members who have made facemasks available for free for those of us who don’t sew or are on limited budgets. We do appreciate you.

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We continue to see virus flare-ups around the country (and world) when people ignore the mask-distance recommendations / orders. New Zealand went 110 days without a new case then someone let their guard down and poof, a flare-up. The masks / separations work. Failing to do it fails. Why can’t people connect the dots on this?

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The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air, and quickly fall on floors or surfaces.

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An opinion about a Plan B for younger students: No existing option is particularly good and reopening schools may lead to “outbreaks”; online and “hybrid” learning “doesn’t work well for younger children”; learning pods cost parents around $12,000 a year per student. The best choice is giving parents access to the money their school district spends annually on their kids and letting them decide how to spend it. The national average of per-student spending is $12,612 as of 2018, which is enough to join a pod of six students and a teacher with materials. Smaller sums would cover private or charter school tuition. It is a perfect time to have a voucher program for use by the parent who is ultimately responsible for the education of their child.

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Help me understand, a lot of people seem to be reluctant to actually put on their mask; go to their polling site, and cast their ballot, IN PERSON, this coming election day. Is doing that SO VERY DIFFERENT than putting on your mask; going to Walmart; the pharmacy; the doctor’s office; the grocery store? Things you’ve been doing for months, on a regular basis? Who knows; in reality, it will probably take less time to cast your vote in person, than to check out at the supermarket – AND, you may meet up with friends or acquaintances you haven’t seen in months.

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The droplets that you exhale do NOT just drop to the ground. Proof, you ask? They are what freeze and let you “see your breath” in winter. They float in the air. They don’t just drop to the ground.

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Uncontrolled schools in Georgia open – COVID cases appear. UNC opens – students ignore precautions – closes as 145 cases (so far) appear. Ithaca College changes course and goes remote. IT’S REAL FOLKS! Use the masks. Wash your hands. Social distance.

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The only purpose the use of threats, be they veiled or outright, serves, is to make one doubt the validity of the cause; since those resorting to threats are either too lazy or too ignorant to explain themselves with any degree of intelligence. 

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How sad someone had to steal my grandchildren’s wagon while it sat along Rte. 282 south of Nichols with their recycling in it. They had to remove the recycling to get at the wagon. I gave them that wagon after they lost all of their other toys during the flood of 2011.

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I remember how proud my parents and grandparents were about how strong and honorable Americans are. Unfortunately, I’m thinking those times must be gone because if Americans were strong, they could handle wearing a mask for a few minutes while they go to get groceries, do errands, and whatever to keep the community safe. Obviously, this is not the America that our parents, grandparents and great grandparents fought for.

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When I was younger all stores had signs on them, no shoes, no shirt, no service. Those signs should come back and start out with no mask, no shirt, no shoes, no service – and enforce it.

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A note to businesses: Yesterday my husband and I shopped in Owego. We went into a fast food restaurant and there was a customer with an employee at the counter having a conversation, neither one wearing a mask. We left. I went into a gift shop, not downtown, and a customer and employee were conversing without masks. Another employee had a mask under her nose. If businesses want customers, wear masks. I’d also like to say, you are not wearing a mask if it is not covering your nose completely. When you breathe out if you have the virus you are expelling it into the air. When you breathe in, you could be breathing the virus in. If you insist on wearing it under your nose, hold your breath.

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I’m getting very worried wondering what my neighbor up the road has been shooting all summer nearly every weekday for some time now. They are using a big gun and it does not sound like target shooting because it is usually only one or two shots. I certainly hope they are not shooting cats. There is an abundance of cats in that area.

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What a bad financial decision for the village of Owego to add three more policemen with a grant that only lasts three years. Three years goes by pretty fast and there are no armed robberies, there’s no shootings, there’s no crime in the village of Owego. We have State Police, we have the Sheriff’s Office, and we have village police and we do not need any more police that we cannot afford! 

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Somebody was suggesting we should support the local shops and companies. I totally agree with that but they need to do their part and enforce the mask law. When we walk in, we are looking forward to shopping at our local places and there are people walking in with their mask not on at all, not covering their nose or whatever. If you have a medical condition that you cannot wear a mask, then you really shouldn’t be out. The COVID-19 attacks the lungs and the respiratory system and many other body parts. 

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Dear local community organizations, when you are doing fundraising or have events available, please put the dates down. I pay attention to the day and the time you say you are having an activity and we show up and you didn’t bother to take the sign down from a week or two earlier. We want to support you and you need to do your part and put the date up or take the sign down immediately at the end of the activity.

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Thursday I shopped in a local grocery store in Owego, the sign clearly said masks required, one person recommended to shop at a time. In the store there was a woman with two children, all without masks. Another woman with her two children, she had on a mask the children did not. Middle age or older elementary children running all around, taking things off the shelves, putting them back, well you get the picture. Children are super spreaders. If they need to be in the store, they should be required to wear a mask, stay with their parents and the mask requirement should be enforced. This isn’t political. You wear a seatbelt, shirt and shoes, stop at a stoplight, wear the mask!

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The politicians have let the telemarketers win. I keep my telephone off 24/7, it’s rendered useless because of the telemarketers and politicians who won’t enact laws prohibiting them.

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No voter should ever have to choose between voting and their health, period!

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I don’t think we need Cuomo lecturing us on empathy. Where’s his empathy for the families who lost loved ones because of his gross mishandling of the nursing home patients with COVID. How about all those who have been victimized by violence, protests and beatings? Yeah, I think not. He has not a clue about empathy. 

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The Tioga County Health Department needs to get out and start checking all these businesses where the employees aren’t wearing masks or social distancing.

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The 17th is coming on and another year has gone by, I think of you very often. You would come around the corner at the neighbor’s, but right now I miss you, you were a very great friend. So just for now, I’ll sit on the front porch and drink a beer and I will think about you. Your friend and brother, Dan. 

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Why do motorcycles think they always have to speed?

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We are having trouble with a neighbor’s dog barking most of the day. We have called the Owego Police and Town of Owego, with no help. Any ideas? 

National Political Viewpoints

Hey Democrats, Trump says, “They, (Democrats) don’t like oil, guns, or religion, other than that, they are wonderful.” Trump’s got your number! ROAR!

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Gazillions of fake IDs, mostly driver’s licenses, have been confiscated at airports and other ports of entry just lately. Mostly coming from China. Gee, you don’t suppose this fits in with the vote by mail thing the Socialist Democrats would like to happen, do you? Can you say voter fraud?

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Trump art cleverer than thee know. He putteth cake (Ben and Jerry’s) eaters, buffoons, scoundrels and scalawags Schumer and Pelosi on the fool’s stage and they did not knoweth it. By Trumpian decree (Executive Order 13945) unemployment benefits and assistance for those in need were extended. From atop Bubble Olympus on high, Schumer and Pelosi did hurl screeds, “Unconstitutional, unconstitutional, off with his head, let the wretched eat cake, and orange man bad.” Their coercion for ransom was not paid. Good King Trump thwarted these demigods from the shackles of bondage and indentured servitude as Nancy and Chucky would enslave them to their masters, the New York and California state public employee pensions. Mad as a hatter they are that Trump did not take knee to their ransom demands, Mail-in-Ballots, free college, green new deal, SJW student loan forgiveness, and more free stuff. All Hail Trump as the defender of those who work for a living. 

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On Aug. 14, Attorney General Barr stated, “And people talk about implicit racism or systemic racism. The racism in this country – look no further than our public education system. That’s a racist system, maintained by the Democratic Party and the teachers union, keeping inner-city kids in failing schools instead of putting the resources in the hands of the parents to choose which schools their children attend.” Speaking such truth takes integrity and enormous guts. Ex-New York City School Commissioner Joel Klein, in his resignation, stated the New York State teachers union was “morally corrupt”. “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell. Remember Cuomo’s teacher accountability? By stroke of a pen it was erased in the cold and dark of night. Get out that vote and open those wallets.

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Dear seniors and those that support Trump, we get it; it’s a hard call. On one hand he’s underfunding your Social Security, jeopardizing your mailed prescriptions, and eradicating your Medicare. But on the other hand he did also advocate killing you in a pandemic to keep the DOW strong.

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You have to laugh. All this hoopla about the Socialist Democratic convention, and no one gives a rip. Viewership is down across ALL the cable news networks. Enthusiasm for the Biden / Harris ticket doesn’t exist. The entire opening meeting and most thereafter is all about bashing President Trump, not what the Democrats would do differently. Total joke. They’re trying to make you think Sleepy Joe is enjoying a big surge. NOT! Doesn’t show up in any poll I’m seeing.

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I always enjoy getting the Pennysaver on Sunday morning. I get the new Fox News talking points and right wing nut radio given to me by those that believe Trump can do no wrong. Love it for its entertainment value about history, conspiracy theories and anything else King Donnie can think of. The political viewpoints are very entertaining. I only have one thing that keeps me wondering; he has already written himself out of the presidential election. He is desperate to see no mail-in voting and even falsely spouts how there is so much fraud. He has also got his sycophants holding up the postal service in our country. Personally, I do not care if I have to stand in a long line for hours to see that this sociopath finds himself out of the White House. There are nearly 170,000 deceased here in America that would surely like to know what our dear leader is doing about the Trump virus. I can only hope that people get out and vote and go with someone that will fix the mess this person has done to America. Get out and vote no matter how you need to, follow your conscience if you have one and we may see a better America for it. Go Biden! Oh and news flash, Kamala Harris was born in America, namely Oakland, California.

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Got mail? King Donald Trump is trying to destroy the United States Postal Service. He’s pretending that if people use the postal service it will deny him re-election. Hey, how about greeting cards, checks, bills, correspondence of all sorts for towns, cities, governments, for people? I want my mail! I don’t want Donald Trump crushing the United States Postal Service. Let Tom Reed know what you think about President Donald Trump destroying your United States Postal Service. 

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Follow the news. President Trump wants to kill the United States Postal Service. Millions of veterans depend on the United States Postal Service to get their medicine. Veterans are going to die because of mail delivery shortages. Thanks to Donald Trump the nation is at risk, even more today.

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Trump’s gone postal. He’s gone postal. Send him off, first class, I don’t care. He’s gone postal.

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It’s amazing to me how two faced the republicans and the congress is. They had a chance to take care of this problem and impeach a very guilty sitting president but instead they just turned their face the other way. Now they are upset because their congressional seats are in jeopardy because they’re associated with a person who has destroyed the country, has allowed hundreds of thousands of Americans to die needlessly, and crashed the economy. 

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Dear Postal worker, just know the community supports you and we need you. In the event the population doesn’t know that it is now reported, the person who Trump just now put in charge of the postal service is a huge conflict of interest, has millions and billions of dollars in other things that are in direct competition to the U.S. Postal Service. He’s trying to manipulate the vote and it’s very obvious and clear. With the pandemic, many people need to use the mail to vote and he’s doing everything he can to make sure your vote doesn’t count. Get rid of Trump!

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To the person who said they are getting other people’s mail and other people are getting their mail, all you need to do is either hand deliver it to the person if they live nearby or put it back in your mailbox with a note stating it was delivered to the wrong address. I’m sure none of you know the kind of stress and pressure the postal workers are under when they have a giant target on their back by Trump who’s trying to destroy them and their company that supports and benefits us all.

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So now it’s Trump’s fault that Hollywood can’t make a decent movie. You people are nuttier than a candy bar! You really need to get a grip on reality. I get that you hate the guy, but man you’ve got to stop the incoherent ramblings man. You lefties are nuts!

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Newsflash! The Marxist democrat run cities like Portland, Los Angeles, New York City, Albuquerque, Seattle and other leftwing led cesspools are a portent to the coming collapse of law and order to the USA if the Biden-Harris ticket wins in November. How anyone can support the democrat led anarchists and rioters is beyond reason. Go Trump!

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Funny, I just opened up the Pennysaver and it says celebrating the right to vote and meanwhile I just got off the computer with talks about how our president is trying to suppress the votes by trying to break the postal service so people can’t do write in ballots; because if there are write in ballots he’s going to lose the election. He’s trying to fix the election. He admits it to the newspaper he’s trying to suppress the votes by eliminating the write in ballots. If he isn’t a crook or a criminal, you tell me who is a criminal then.

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President Trump, great job! You just hired a Dr. Scott Atlas who has no expertise in public health or infectious diseases for the COVID-19. Just what we needed! Also, stop worrying about granting a pardon to Edward Snowden, worry about the virus.

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There are 60,000 people that die every year, even in a good year, from the flu. So, comparing the Vietnam War to anything is ridiculous! Democrats, your standards are ridiculous and you are the biggest hypocrites in the world. I would never vote for a democrat; not even a dogcatcher.

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As I watch the news and listen and have thought carefully about some different things, I see the wizard in the white house who likes to degrade people, belittle them, say horrible things about them, can’t take any constructive criticism from anybody and he’s acting like a little child as usual. He just continues to carry on. I think there should be a law that says that a president cannot appoint his buddies to any kind of a position in politics.

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Hey you guys, am I the only dummy in the world? Did you all know that Ivana Trump is a Russian woman? Imagine that, and I never even gave it a thought. Boy, I’m telling you some days we can be dumb. No wonder he loves Putin. He did write those letters; I love Putin and he loves me.

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Irony. Locally we saw a great 100 years of women’s suffrage. Donald and others are working hard to put up roadblocks to keep many from voting his November. 

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Watching the Democratic National Convention only convinced me further to vote republican for the rest of my life. Vote republican!

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Too funny, nobody is watching DNC but we knew that would happen. 

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The Democratic National Convention talks only about President Trump. Now we all know he’s an interesting and wonderful president, but where is the democratic agenda for the country?

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Trump is destroying America and all its institutions. We all know he’s too stupid to do it on his own so he’s taking his marching orders straight from Putin. Nancy Pelosi was right – all roads lead to Moscow. What kind of president wants to screw with our elections! I’ll tell you what kind of president, a dictator. 

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The Democratic Convention is now going on. I am not watching it but I do watch the clips on the news in the morning. But I see they are not mentioning any of the rioting, the looting, and the violence going on in all these democratic run cities. I ask you readers, why? Are they turning a blind eye to that? I think I know the answer so I don’t need your response. The answer is they don’t want to take ownership of their own mess. Children, they are not going to win the White House, no way. Trump landslide, can’t wait!