Thanks for stopping by The Western Word to read this week’s edition of “Thursday Numbers!”

If you are a new visitor, this column is where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes laced with just a little sarcasm).

NOTICE: By reading this column you may be able to use the information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. Consider this your warning.

This week I write about “Likes” on Facebook, Bobby Kennedy, Chris Christie, Susan Rice, D-Day, Jon Tester, Steve Daines, Max Baucus, Steve Bullock, Montana Republicans, Montana Democrats, Brian Schweitzer, Stop Dark Money Montana, unemployment, Veterans Upward Bound, NSA and Verizon, Will Deschamps, Gary Carlson, Don Hart, Major League Baseball, Obamacare, and much more!

346,000

That’s the number of new claims for unemployment last week, which was a decrease of 11,000 from the week before.

We need to have several weeks of decreases.

7,300

That’s the number of “Likes” U.S. Senator Jon Tester has on his “Government Official” Facebook page.

Tester does well on the social media sites – his team should be commended.

3,591

That’s the number of “Likes” Montana Governor Steve Bullock has on his “Government Official” Facebook page.

2,590

That’s the number of “Likes” the Montana Democratic Party has on their Facebook page.

2,380

That’s the number of “Likes” on the “Draft Brian Schweitzer for Senate” Facebook page.

2,160

That’s the number of “Likes” the Montana Republican Party has on their Facebook page.

2,014

That’s the number of “Likes” U.S. Senator Max Baucus has on his “Government Official” Facebook page.

Baucus has become insignificant since he announced his retirement, but he still has more “Likes” on his Facebook page than Congressman Steve Daines.

1968

On this date in 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, a day after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. (AP)

Bobby Kennedy would have made a great President…

1944

On this date in 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in the D-Day invasion of Europe during World War II.

Heroes…

1,660

That’s the number of “Likes” Congressman Steve Daines has on his “Government Official” Facebook page.

230

The Veterans Upward Bound Montana has served up to 230 veterans per year, but with funding shortages from the Federal Government, they will only be able to assist 155. They will also be closed this summer.

Shame on the Feds and shame on the Montana Congressional delegation for failing veterans…

162

That’s the number of “Likes” the group “Stop Dark Money Montana” has on their Facebook page.

Montanans should support this group…

86

According to the Associated Press, “the NSA has been collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top secret court order.” The court order calls for the collecting of telephone records of U.S. citizens from “April 25 and is good until July 19” which if my calculation is correct, is 86 days.

I have Verizon and upon hearing about this, I called my wife and told her I would be staying in my bunker until July 20.

Way to ruin my summer, Obama…

70

That’s the average age of the three men running to be the chair of the Montana Republican Party. According to the Billings Gazette, Will Deschamps is 67, Gary Carlson is 71, and Don Hart is 73.

Remind me why the GOP has problems attracting younger voters again…

52

According to Gallup, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has an overall favorable rating of 52%. That includes 58% from Republicans, 50% from Independents, and 52% from Democrats.

If you are a current or future politician, you could learn a lot from Christie…

48

That’s the age of Susan Rice who President Obama selected to be his next National Security Advisor.

Rice is a good pick…

20

According to ESPN.com, “Major League Baseball will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, possibly within the next few weeks.”

Do we really need to go through this mess again?

8

According to an article from The Foundry, which is a Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation, there are eight “new powers granted to the IRS as a result of Obamacare.”

Some are quite interesting, like the “1,954 Full-time bureaucrats the IRS wants to devote to Obamacare implementation and enforcement in the upcoming fiscal year.”
(Thanks to @MikeMillerHD84 for this info)

6

According to Rasmussen Reports, “Only six percent (6%) of Likely U.S. Voters give Congress good or excellent marks for the job it is doing” and “Sixty-four percent (64%) rate its performance as poor.”

It’s really hard for Congress to suck much more, don’t you think?

3

The Montana Republican Party is holding their convention this weekend, and there’s a three-way race to be the Chair of the Party. Current Chair Will Deschamps is running again. Gary Carlson and Don Hart hope to unseat him.

With the turmoil in the party, I think they should hire a “Happiness Expert” to come to the convention to talk with the party faithful. I heard through the IRS that a Happiness Expert costs around $11,000.

Follow me on Twitter @TheWesternWord

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