Happy New Year! Thanks for taking time out of your holiday schedule to read “Thursday Numbers.”

If this is your first time, this is the column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes spiked with a little sarcasm).

This week I write about Bon Jovi, ObamaCare, unemployment, new laws for 2014, the speed limit, deaths on the roads, tax breaks, Antarctic rescue, stamps, bowl games, SiriusXM Pigskin Pick ‘em, Phil Robertson, Beyoncé, and much more!

259,500,000

The rock band Bon Jovi “grossed a career high $259.5 million in 2013” which made the band the “top-grossing global concert tour” of 2013.

I bet they put on a great concert…

2,100,000

According to a story from National Journal, “Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on a press call Tuesday that as of Dec. 28, 2.1 million people had enrolled in a private insurance plan through the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges. Roughly half enrolled through the federal marketplace.”

Hopefully those numbers will continue to go up and people can get affordable coverage.

1,300,000

That’s how many people lost their unemployment compensation on December 28.

We need to take care of our own…

339,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment compensation last week according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Here’s hoping that everyone finds a job they love in 2014…

40,000

According to CNN, there are 40,000 new laws taking effect in 2014. Most of them are from state legislatures.

1974

On this date in 1974, “President Richard Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 mph.” (Source) Congress changed that in 1995 allowing states to set speed limits.

I remember Montana’s “reasonable and prudent” speed limit. A drive from Great Falls to Billings went by pretty quickly.

224

That’s how many people died on Montana’s roadways in 2013. That was an increase from 2012.

55

That’s how many tax breaks expired at the end of 2013, courtesy of Congress.

So, that means they increased taxes, right?

52

The Associated Press reported, “A helicopter rescued all 52 passengers from a research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve after weather conditions finally cleared enough for the operation Thursday.”

The 22 crewmembers get to stay with the ship.  I hope they get to see the remaining Bowl games and the NFL playoffs.

49

That’s how much a first class postage stamp will cost on January 26 – an increase of three cents.

I don’t think it will be enough to get the USPS out of debt…

35

There are 35 college football bowl games this season; starting today there are only six left.

After this weekend, I may go through football withdrawal with only a few games left.

15

Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty gives advice about marrying teenage girls: “You got to marry these girls when they are about 15 or 16. They’ll pick your ducks. You need to check with mom and dad about that, of course.”

Of course…

9

With the NFL regular season ending, I finished ninth in the SiriusXM Pigskin Pick ‘em contest with 176 points. There were around 12,000 people competing.

It was a pretty good season…

6

Beyoncé used a six-second clip from the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in her new song “XO,” which has upset some Challenger family members.

It was wrong for Beyoncé to use the clip.

 

### Happy New Year ###