Drunkard

Without bloviating too much into philosophical meandering, I will say that marginal tax schedules are best in both philosophy and reality. The wealthy benefit the most from the system in place and are in the best position to fund that system. The economy and the country overall has been at it's best when marginal tax rates are high and the gap between rich and poor is at it's smallest. It's no coincidence that the good old days that Republicans all seem to pine for consisted of strong family units, a mother who could stay at home to watch the children, and a father who could bring home enough bacon to care for the family, take vacations, pay the bills, and save enough for both retirement and to give their children a better life. What gets lost or ignored is the fact that what lead to this were strong unions that ensured healthy living wages for their workers and high marginal tax rates to fund government services.

Feel the Bern, sir. Ignore the fact that he's a Democratic Socialist and think of how some of the planks in his platform actually support a conservative agenda. Shifting towards green energy isn't about helping the environment, it's about cutting back on the amount of oil we have to import from less than friendly nations (ignore that much of our importing comes from Canada). Raising the minimum wage isn't about helping the working poor, it's about reducing the government aid that currently goes to these people in the form of welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid. Now McDonalds, 7 Eleven, and Walmart will pay that money instead of the government. A single payer healthcare system isn't about socialized medicine, it's basically akin to a tax break for businesses since they'll no longer be needed to provide primary insurance for their workers and it will offset the fact that they have to pay their workers more.

Oh yeah, I hope the money they get from me for merchandise goes to the next Ville Leino, ha ha! In all seriousness though, I definitely see your point but I just disagree. Maybe it was the tank (which I fully supported) or maybe it's getting older, or maybe it's the fact that I cringe everytime I pull up the credit card section of my credit union account given the time of year but I just can't see spending the money on it anymore.

I think these millionaire players can get by without my dime. They've finished dead last 2 years in a row, they don't deserve a raise.

Yep, tons of players were doing all kinds of stuff. I remember reading an article about some pitcher for Pittsburgh (I think) in the 70's who pitched a no-hitter while tripping on acid or peyote or something like that. I never get the purist argument no matter what the sport is. "The game" was never pure in any sport for any era.

It may get frowned upon around these parts but illegal streams are still the best option. Especially knowing that rat faced Bettman doesn't earn a dime that way.

Meth would probably be better. It would add some edge to his game and ensure he never came to camp overweight. He won't have to leave the ice when a puck hits him in the face and knocks out a few teeth either because the meth would have already helped him grind them out.

Wait, so the rest of the Sabres fans are just trolling the Canes fans? I thought we were supposed to take the baby eating literally? Oh well, at least the evidence is gone. I've seen it. It screams please mug me in my opinion, but to each his own. They probably don't want the jersey getting in the way of their fanny packs I guess.

I bet you tuck your jersey into your jeans, don't you? It's ok, you can admit it, man. You're among friends. No judgements here.

I've got a Drunkard jersey that's number 69 and I'm all class while I sip (beer bong) the finest pilsners (Milwaukee's Best Ice) and cordially converse (eating babies) with the Hurricanes fans (hillbillies who worship Dale Earnhardt). Next time I think I might add a top hat, monocle, and cane so I can spiff it up even more, like Mr. Peanut.

I personally don't buy jerseys of people that I'm older than but I haven't bought a jersey in a long time and I don't see a problem with it. I've got a couple of old blank goatheads (one white, one black), a throwback blue Rob Ray one, and a throwback white one that says Drunkard on it (not my actual last name by the way, more of a personality trait from 10 or so years ago when I got it). The only rule that should exist is since you a spending that amount of coin on a jersey that it should be whatever the hell you want.

No sweat, man. We definitely disagree politically but I like to think I come to my own conclusions based on the information available. The your personal lord and savior part was a bit snarky and directed at basically all Republicans who claim to be Christian since that is supposed to mean Christ like. I don't know of your personal religious beliefs so it wasn't meant specifically for you unless the shoe fits and you hold those conflicting views. If that's the case then it was still directed at the entire group that holds that view but I apologize for the wording. I try to challenge the views of the other side but I'm definitely not trying to run anyone off. Without conflicting opinions (whether it's about hockey, politics, religion, economics, etc.) this board wouldn't be nearly as interesting to read or post on.

Sabres got the #3 pick on my second try and they got the #1 pick on my 3rd try. How sweet would it be to pick top 3 and be able to snag a guy like Matthews, Chychrun, or Puljujarvi if we end up missing the playoffs.

My post was sarcasm and truth in the same breath because when I look at the GOP the ridiculousness knows no bounds. It may be a little over the top but can you point to a single part of it that isn't true of (at the very least) a large contingent of the Republican Party? I think all the things I've posted are great examples of the hypocrisy of the GOP and it only scratches the surface. I hardly even touched on the whole idea of how being pro-life is really only being pro-fetus since the majority of "pro-lifers" support the death penalty and are pro-gun and usually pro-war. Or the fact that the vast majority of people who have abortions are poor single women and your party platform wants to force these women into having babies they can't afford while simultaneously trying to cut basic welfare benefits in the same breath and the women they are trying to force to have these babies are the primary benefactors in the welfare system. Love the fetus, hate the baby at its finest. I also reject your premise of Group think. This board may swing left by a decent margin but I share my current views of the GOP regardless of the medium that I'm using. I live in the South and I work aboard the largest Marine Corps Base on the east coast. I'm surrounded by people who lean right politically and I don't let the majority opinion influence my views. It's not about going out on a limb or leaving my comfort zone, it's about smelling and calling a spade a spade. The fact that most Republicans claim to be Christian yet support a platform that is pro-gun, pro-war, and against the poor is about as anti-Christ like as it could possibly get and there's no way for you to square that circle. I find it hard to believe that your personal lord and savior could be on board with non-sense like that. The only issue I think he'd side with the GOP on is abortion but he'd be against your party on every other issue. The sad thing is that I'd honestly rather see Trump win than a guy like Bush III, Rubio, or Ted Cruz. At least he puts his craziness right out there for everyone to see, even if he's a xenophobic war monger. Every single person in the GOP Race is a damn chicken hawk with the exception of Lindsay Graham and Rand Paul. Graham because he actually served in the military (so he's just a war monger but not a chicken hawk) and Paul because he seems to be the only Republican running who isn't salivating at letting slip the dogs of war.

Ralph's money was mostly from owning the Bills. He bought the team for something like $50,000 and the majority of his wealth stemmed from owning the team. Pegula doesn't have that problem and he spent something like a third of his worth on the Bills and not even 1/10 on the Sabres. He or Kim can definitely will the team to their kids they just need a couple of high dollars CPAs and estate attorneys to figure out the details.

Those ideals do not come from religion though. Religion took those ideas because the golden rule is basic common sense that has existed since before there were any organized religions. Morality is about knowing the distinction between right and wrong and believing in some sort of deity doesn't necessarily make anyone a moral person and there is no need for belief in the supernatural in order to live a life of morality. Sure there are societies with little or no religious influence that have succumbed to anarchy, but there have been plenty of religious societies that have done the same thing. There are also examples of both religious and non-religious societies that have prospered and experienced long peaceful eras. You don't need to believe in a deity to realize it's wrong to kill or steal. I'm sure the Golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated was instituted long before it ever got scribbled down into the Bible. It's a simple concept to understand and I'd be willing to bet even the earliest cave men followed it in some way because it's a natural way to ensure a society thrives and there's always been safety in numbers and a need to cooperate with one another. Society is beneficial to humans, therefore living in groups provides safety in numbers, protection, and strength of the group. This is completely independent of the existence or need for any sort of higher being and many animals from baboons, to fish, to wolves, to lions, to gazelle, to elephants live this way without any requirement of belief in the supernatural. Living in a group or society requires a certain code/set of rules that allow groups to function and thrive, otherwise the whole system could fall apart. It doesn't take belief in a deity to realize that I wouldn't want my wife or daughter to get raped and I wouldn't want to see my son get killed, and the majority of the other members in society feel the same way I do about their own families, so everyone agrees to follow the basic code/rules. The benefit of remaining a member of the group is likely what motivates people to follow the rules, even if they don't have a wife, daughter, or son that could be harmed. Acting in your own self interests at peril to the group may help an individual in the short term, but it has the potential to harm them over a longer period. Steal the food of your neighbor, or do harm to him or his family and you risk punishment or banishment from the group, and you lose the benefits that come with that. Protection from predators, sharing in the spoils of the hunt, sharing/pooling of resources during lean times, having a chance to learn specialized skills rather than having to be a jack of all trades and do a little bit of everything to survive on your own, having an easier time to find a mate from within other members of the community, and so on. That's why humans have lived in groups since long before there was religion. It happened independently of the belief in any sort of God.

Using the inner core, outer core outlook I would say our inner core definitely consists of: Eichel Reinhart O'Reilly Ristolainen We desperately need a young left handed defenseman to pair with Ristolainen long term as well as a stud winger to pair with our wealth of centers (assuming one of Reinhart or O'Reilly continues to play winger into the future). Right now, I would say our outer core consists of: Kane Ennis Moulson Gionta Bogosian Pysyk McCabe These guys are important cogs but no where near are critical as the inner core. They could develop into inner core guys (Kane, Psysk, McCabe), remain in the outer core (Ennis, Bogosian), or will eventually be replaced/upgraded (Gionta, Moulson).

I for one, will welcome our new corporate masters. I plan on becoming a born again Christian and I will do my best to emulate Christ in true Republican fashion by being pro gun, pro war, anti-poor, anti-gay, anti-women, pro business, and in favor of sexual intercourse only for married couples who are trying to conceive children. I'll join the tea party and ramble about how we need to get the government out of our lives in one breath while I encourage the government to tell people who they can marry and what type of birth control their insurance company should provide and I'll support the Patriot act so that same government can track every phone call, text message, email, and message board post that I make.

It's definitely a bit of wishful thinking but it's possible so I'll keep hoping.

I'd be ok with the secondary market collapsing because it would hopefully lead to lower prices set by the team. Right now the amateur scalpers are taking a loss which would hopefully lead to a decrease in season tickets sales to the people buying entire rows or sections of seats. Waiting lists for season tickets will erode and teams will have to lower prices to avoid empty arenas. Right now they are losing some money on empty arenas due to getting less revenue from parking and concessions but the majority of the tickets have already been sold. Once the scalpers stop giving them guaranteed sales they feel the pinch more and either have to drop prices or improve the game to increase demand.

The main reason third parties don't have any staying power is because they tend to be focused on a single issue and one of the two parties generally absorb whatever platform that third party is trumpeting. Exactly. I don't need to pretend like I believe in something that I don't and I reject the assumption that seems to be made by most people that morality stems from belief in an omnipotent supernatural being. I've posted my thoughts on how this just isn't the case because even cavemen followed basic societal rules thousands of years before any formalized religion of today was even invented but it's easier to ignore facts and think that people are good because they fear being punished in the afterlife.

You can reject the idea if you want but there's still a percentage of the population that really just doesn't care. I have no idea what that percentage is but I know at least 2 or 3 people who are like this and they really just don't care or they think both sides are so corrupt that R or D really just doesn't matter. They may have opinions on some issues but don't know where any politicians stand who agree or disagree with them. There's also all of the other reasons I stated but legitimately not caring is real for some people.

Any of those reasons or a combination of them. Some people just don't care. Some people think they don't know enough to have an opinion. Some people feel it's a waste of time because they are a blue person in a red state or a red person in a blue state, gerrymandered districts where it's so lopsided that the other side doesn't even put up a viable candidate, and in densely populated areas (where minorities and the poor usually live) it's actually a pain in the ass to vote because the lines are down the block and it takes hours to go through the process.

I don't have Starz either because I didn't want to spend $10 or $12 a month when that's the only show I'd watch. I'll send you a PM though with how I watch it.

Is anyone else experiencing the awesomeness of this show? If not, you are missing out. It's on Starz and was already picked up for a second season before the first one started airing. Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are the main contributors and it has the same feel as the old movies while obviously having a bigger budget. Basic plot involves Ash accidentally summoning some demons from the Necronomicon (The Book of the Dead) that he's had carefully stashed away for 30 years and now he's got to battle evil all over again. Great mix of gore and cheesy gore to go along with the classic one liners that just wouldn't be a Bruce Campbell film without. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unnLg1TPCYM