Oh yes – we’ve made it to the last Thursday of September – Congrats!
Thanks for stopping by The Western Word to read “Thursday Numbers.” This is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes laced with just a little sarcasm.
NOTICE: If you read this column you will probably gain knowledge not found on other websites! You may be able to use this information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. The information might even be life changing – so consider yourself warned…
This week I write about the Postal Service, unemployment, Jacks who are registered to vote, the NFL, calling voters, massive retweets, first debate, remote location, party schools, miles driven, a couple of classic rock birthdays, campaign-related calls, job approval rating, surcharges, and much more!
5,600,000,000
According to an article from National Journal, “The U.S. Postal Service will default this week on a $5.6 billion congressionally mandated obligation to pre-fund retiree health benefits, marking the second time in two months the cash-strapped agency has done this.”
Nice work Congress. Very nice…
359,000
That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Labor. That was “a decrease of 26,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 385,000.”
That is better news than many recent Thursday unemployment numbers…
226,651
The Obama for America Campaign sent me an e-mail saying, “Hey, check this out — according to our records, there are 226,651 people named Jack who are already registered to vote in this election.”
Yes – and I am one of them…
205,000
The NFL and the Referees reached a deal last night that, according to the Associated Press, the salaries of the referees will “increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.”
I would like to thank the Green Bay Packers for their sacrifice (not really –I am not a Packers fan).
200,000
In a recent e-mail, the Montana Republican Party writes that they “expect nearly 200,000 Montana voters to vote absentee this year.” Heads-up – they are going to call people identified as GOP supporters starting October 1 and ending on October 12. The Democrats will be doing the same thing with their supporters.
So here at The Western Word I’ve written a script for you to use for the annoying calls!
If the Republicans call you, then say, “I am voting for all the Republicans.” If the Democrats call you, then say, “I am voting for all the Democrats.”
If the call is after October 9, add this statement, “…and I sent my ballot in today.”
Also (and this is very important), if Jon Tester’s people call, ask them about getting a suitcase full of beef delivered with a yard sign…
98,306
That’s how many retweets (as of this morning) the Twitter message sent by Green Bay Packers offensive lineman TJ Lang received. He was a little upset about the outcome of the Seahawks/Packers game Monday night. Note: The message contains vulgarity.
His mother must be very proud…
52,000
In a recent e-mail, U.S. House candidate Kim Gillan tells subscribers “I’ve driven 52,000 miles since I started my run for the U.S. House and with public polling calling the race a toss up, it has all come down to the last 42 days.”
Montana is a big state and state-wide candidates put a lot of miles on their vehicles during campaign season – let’s be safe out there!
50,000
According to USA Today, “New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was fined $50,000 by the NFL for grabbing a replacement official after his team’s 31-30 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.”
1960
On September 26, 1960, the first televised debate between presidential candidates took place in Chicago. It was Republican Richard M. Nixon versus Democrat John F. Kennedy.
1600
CNBC reports, “The remote island of Gough is about 1,600 miles southwest of Cape Town (South Africa). Since 1956, Gough has hosted teams of about six workers that each stay on the island for around 13 months.”
Sounds like a nice place to get away from it all – but do they have WiFi?
288
Kansas City Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles had 288 total yards Sunday (233 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving) which earned him the AFC offensive player of the week award!
Maybe things are looking up for my Chiefs. OK, I’m just joking…
75
That’s the age of Tom Osborne who yesterday announced that he was retiring as the University of Nebraska’s athletic director.
He was one of the greatest college football coaches of all time and it sucked every time he beat my Missouri Tigers, which was often…
69
“Roll on Down the Highway!” Randy Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive turns 69 today. Enjoy the video HERE.
65
You took the words right out of my mouth – Happy Birthday to Meat Loaf who turns 65 today. Enjoy the video HERE.
50
A new poll from Gallup tells us “President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has been 50% or higher in each of the last four Gallup Daily tracking figures, including a 51% rating in the latest three-day rolling average, from Sept. 23-25.”
Mitt Romney seems to be fading…
40
That’s how many days there are until Election Day 2012!
It’s time to start fighting for every last vote. The votes are there for a victory – you just have to go out and get them!
Remember – over half of the candidates on the ballot (and their campaign workers) will lose…
19
The Great Falls Tribune will stop accepting Letters to the Editor for the Nov. 6 election at 5:00 p.m. on October 19.
The campaigns workers better start writing those letters…
10
Did your school make Playboy’s list of Top 10 Party Schools for 2012? Check it out HERE.
4
That is the number of campaign-related calls I received at my home last night between 6:00pm – 8:00pm which included calls from RDD Field Services and Public Policy Polling…
3
There are three Presidential debates scheduled with the first one starting Wednesday, October 3. It will be held in Denver, Colorado. The other two debates are scheduled for October 16, and October 22. A Vice Presidential debate is scheduled for October 11.
The first debate may be Romney’s last chance to get rid of his robot persona…
2.50
According to this story, “An annual analysis of checking accounts from Bankrate.com finds that the average A.T.M. surcharge — the fee charged by the machine’s operator to a noncustomer — rose 4 percent to a new record of $2.50.”
Maybe they should put a 30-second ad on the ATM screen and stop the surcharges…
Follow Jack and his life on Twitter @TheWesternWord – I tweet things that would never embarrass my mother…
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