Drunkard

Many poor people don't travel out of the country and don't have cars so they have no need for a passport or a driver's license. What sort of photo ID would you use if you didn't have a passport or a driver's license.

Nice to know that $17 trillion was THE threshold that broke the camel's back. Maybe they should've started worrying about it earlier like when Reagan and Bush were racking up deficits like it was their jobs it could've avoided ever getting close to that point. But I'm sure if McCain had won the election the tea party would've been just as tough on him when the debt level eventually reached that point as well. As to your other point tax rates are at historically low levels and thanks to loopholes, fancy bean counters, and the convoluted tax system, many of the biggest profiting businesses like GE, Boeing, and Exxon don't even pay income taxes. It's flat out pathetic that with my income in the low $30,000's requires me to pay more actual money and a higher percentage of my income in taxes than these companies who records billions in profits every quarter.

Voter ID laws are fine in theory but if you want to be honest with yourself you should admit that their purpose is to disenfranchise voters who are disproportionately poor and more likely to vote for the candidate you disagree with and that is why you want them to go into effect. Republicans realize that the demographics of the nation are moving in a direction that hurts their party and there aren't enough rich people, gun nuts, and religious zealots to reverse the trend so they have to do whatever they can to keep the people who disagree with them from voting.

Yeah, they weren't around then because they didn't care about government spending as long as a Republican's hands were on the purse strings. Deficit spending was ok when Reagan, Bush Sr., and Bush Jr. did it because it was used to give rich people and big business's tax cuts and/or the money was spent on wars. But as soon as even marginally higher amounts of money was ear marked to feed poor people, expand Medicaid, and fund entities like the EPA, FDA, or the Department of Education they just couldn't take to the streets fast enough.

And you can stick to your Fox News talking points to make yourself feel morally superior all you want to. It won't change the fact that the middle class is rapidly disappearing as the number of poor people continue to raise and the wealthiest continue to take more and more of the pie for themselves. Using side issues like guns, abortion, welfare, the war on religion, and gay marriage is the only thing left that allows the Republican Party to maintain any sort of foot hold in American politics. Once more and more of the population wises up and realizes that what most of the wealthy are really concerned about is gaining more wealth at the expense of the poor the side issues will matter less and less and the Republican party will find it harder and harder to win elections despite voter ID laws and whatever types of tactics they'll try to employ to keep common people from voting.

This is complete nonsense and sad attempt at revisionist history. If the Tea Party was a reaction to Bush's fiscal ineptitude then where were they during the first 7 years of his 8 year presidency? Sure they showed up with their 3 cornered hats to oppose the bank bailouts but where were they when he turned a budget surplus into a giant deficit? Did they ever threaten to not raise the debt ceiling or shut down the government even once while he was in office? Did they try to get him to cut federal spending with any sort of actual legislative road blocks even once before the mortgage crisis? You can try to split hairs on the gay marriage things all you want as well, but trying to deny hospital visitation, insurance coverage, estate beneficiary exclusions, and marriage to gay couples is flat out discriminatory and any justification of it through the hate the sin not the sinner type rationale of saying we're not anti-gay just anti-gay marriage is a farce. I'm still dying to know the rationale of how most of them can claim to love Jesus so much yet ignore his main tenet of helping the poor as well, along with the way they want big brother government off their backs when it comes to assault rifles and background checks for owning guns but then insist that the government tell people who they can marry, what types of vaccines (like HPV) people can have, what kind of birth control their insurance companies can provide and whether a woman should be allowed to choose if she wants to keep her baby or not even if she's raped or their are major health risks to carrying the baby to term.

I wouldn't say the Tea Party is insane but they definitely have their collective heads up their ###### when it comes to their views and their inability to compromise. Unfortunately due to the extreme gerrymandering of political districts they have basically painted themselves into a corner. They refuse to compromise because giving an inch will cause them to look weak amongst their own brethren and lose their chance at re-election not during the next election but during the next primary when the next extremist tea party yahoo that is waiting in the wings will point to that compromise like it was an act of treason. They have their heads up their ###### because they seem to have a cognitive dissonance in their heads that won't allow them to see the vast hypocrisy of their political platform. Bush spent like a drunken sailor for 8 years while raising the debt ceiling many times with little more than feigned opposition. However, once their man was no longer in the White House it suddenly became the time to become frugal with the purse strings and fight any amount of spending tooth and nail. Add in the fact that the vast majority of them seem to be evangelicals or other devout Christians that flat out ignore the biggest theme of the New Testament of helping the poor and it just blows my mind how purposely out of touch they seem to be. Jesus never said a word about homosexuals and he lays on the whole the rich people are bad, unless they are helping the poor stuff pretty thick (just about every damn page). Somehow they've manage to ignore that though and do their damnedest to cut taxes for wealthy people, cut spending programs that help poor people while supporting guns, wars, and doing everything they can to keep stick their noses in people's private business when it comes to gay marriage, abortion, etc. all while crying about not wanting big brother government to tell them what to do.

Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket. Seriously? People are morally bankrupt because they enjoy some tv shows with adult themes? You must be a riot to hang out with. What about the violence that gets glorified in what is presumably one of your favorite sports (ice hockey) with the bare knuckle fist fights and bone crunching body checks? I'm just curious but how do you square that circle?

I edited my previous post. I believe the July 1st date still applies, just like it did under the old CBA. Malkin either hasn't signed the contract yet or it's signed and it just can't be submitted to the league office until 7/1/13. Either way, Darcy needs to piss or get off the pot and determine what we're going to do with Miller and Vanek. Hopefully he already has and they just haven't made the news public.

So how is it that Malkin was able to ink his deal before July 1st when he's still under contract for next season but we have to wait until July 1st to be able to do the same with Miller and/or Vanek? Is Malkin's deal just an agreement in principle that won't officially be signed until 7/1 or does Pittsburgh just get preferential treatment? Edit: Never mind I just googled it and Malkin's deal is just an agreement in principle that won't be submitted until 7/1/13. It would be nice if the Sabres could be forward thinking like this, only keeping it quiet in case some team is willing to blow us away with an offer for either of our guys entering the final year of their deals.

I thought Vegas was the only town where you were allowed to hit on 14.

Former Sabre Derek Roy, but only because I like to party and I always encourage everyone (men, women, children, animals, etc.) to touch my tender parts.

I'd pretty much offer their choice any non-center on the roster other than Vanek, Pominville, Miller, Myers, Ehrhoff, or Foligno and any prospect we have coming up through the system other than Girgensons. It's much easier to get a center to produce on the wing than to get a winger to produce at the pivot so I'd be perfectly ok with stockpiling center talent and building the team down the middle.

Yep, that was me. I guess they were afraid I was gonna knock out the 4 remaining teeth that jackass had left in his mouth. The crowd was definitely not as raucous as usual, although section 103 probably had the highest percentage of Sabres fans. Correct. I live in Jacksonville which is 30 minutes from the beach and right smack in the middle of all the Marine Corps bases.

Yeah that's were I was sitting. I was ready to exact some ultra violence on some yokel with 4 teeth in my section who wouldn't shut his mouth but security had their eye on me so I just left the arena after we fell behind 5-3. It was a completely uninspired performance by Buffalo though. Miller should have been in net for the road game with Enroth in net for the home contest too.

Oh yeah, my Mom has been known to go back and forth with them herself. In fact one of the times I got escorted out by security they boo'd her as she followed me to make sure they were just tossing me from the stadium and not throwing me in jail. The entire section of Canes fans boo'd her and she was telling the ones off who were sitting near the aisles, particularly the ones who kept leaving their seats to provoke me. All in good fun, although she did tell me the amount I drank was embarassing. Maybe I'll just let out extra agression in the smoking sections during intermission so I won't be such a buffoon in the stands though. We'll have to see. Once I start feeling the effects of the booze all bets are off.

Section 103 Row C. Seat 5, 6, or 7. Going with the folks this time since they sprang for the tickets and my buddies can't ever seem to get their schit together when I'm ready to buy tix. Most of them root for the Canes anyway though, so ef'em, and being with the folks won't stop my consumption of Milwaukee's Best Ice outside the stadium or Labatt Blue inside of it.

Oh yeah, it strikes a nerve. That's why I enjoy saying it so much. One of the handful of times I've gotten kicked out of a game (maybe 07 or 08) I was yelling it over and over as security was escorting me out of the arena while the entire section either boo'd me or applauded security. In my defense some ###### poured his beer over my head then ran back to his seat and I got grabbed by the rent a cops as I way trying to make my way over to him for a little retribution, so I was out of line but I think my reaction was justified. The comment is definitely in poor taste, but when they go out of their way to piss me off, I have no problem sinking to their level and that statement always gets the job done.

Blue Sabres hat and what used to be the home (white) throwback Sabres jersey. Or just look for the guy who never puts his beer down sitting somewhere behind the Sabres bench. You'll occassionally see the back of my head as I respond to the local crowd's jeers Wide Right, the Music City Miracle, and Where's your Stanley Cup with such gems such as: At least my family tree forks The South will rise again, but only in my pants and The best thing about Nascar is the wall that killed Dale Earnhardt

Sounds like a plan, good sir. I've got to work until 2 pm and then fight traffic to get home and change before making the 2 hour drive to Raleigh so I won't have the chance to properly pre-game. That means I'll be double fisting it in the parking lot for an hour or so before face off then continue it in the arena. Hopefully that will allow me to be my usual charming self in the midst of all those fans who took a wrong turn at the race track and accidentally wound up at a hockey game.

I'll be there as always. I think I'm sitting behind the Sabres bench this time. Should be fun times as long as they don't cut me off at the beer lines. I usually tip though so unless Security makes them 86 my patronage, I'll be ok.

Well, I guess I should change my guess about Daryl killing his own brother now. Looks like Merle will either have to switch sides (if Rick lets him) or strike out on his own if he manages to get away from the Woodbury mob. The whole midseason hiatus crap sucks right now, but at least come February there will be more episodes to watch.

It's definitely possible that Merle switches sides, but if I had to put money on it, I'd say that Daryl ends up killing his own brother to save his group, although initially I thought it would be Michonne who would eventually take him out.

If they get the capacity to produce nuclear weapons then they'd have the capactity to produce multiple nuclear weapons. I doubt they'd go through all the money, time, research, and work to just produce one bomb and sit on it. And if they make 10, how can you be so sure they don't sell one to some terror group with a bankroll or an ideology in line with theirs?

I'm having a hard time voting in this poll as well. I think both sides are greedy pukes but if I had to side with either it would be the players since it's a lockout by the owners and the players would be happy to continue under the current CBA. 50% sounds like a fair split to me though, although I think it should also include increased revenue sharing to balance it out. If they increase revenue sharing and the playings get their share cut from 57% to about half that should make most of the teams in the league profitable on a year to year basis.