Welcome! Thanks for taking time out of your day 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 nukes, Max Baucus, unemployment, John Lewis, light bulbs, empowering women, Kim Jong-un and Dennis Rodman, Montana State Prison, congress, deferred prosecution, and the baseball Hall of Fame.

1,000,000,000,000

According to this story, which is based on information by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, it will cost $1 trillion over the next 30 years “to update the U.S. triad of nuclear-armed bomber aircraft, submarines and ground-based missiles.”

I think officials will try to eliminate several nuclear weapons instead of modernizing.

1,200,000

U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) “has refunded more than $1.2 million in campaign donations since he announced in April that he was not seeking re-election.” (Source)

We should not worry about Baucus; he still has about $3.3 million to “buy” things. That pocket change which will also ensure that his calls are returned in a timely manner.

330,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That’s a decrease of 15,000 from the week before.

204,899.37

U.S. House candidate John Lewis (D-Mont.) reported that he raised $204,899.37 between October 1 and December 31 of 2013.

He has $319,096.88 cash on hand, which is impressive. It should also make his opponents take notice.

Note: If you are a candidate, campaign manager, spokesperson, or current office holder please include The Western Word on your press list. My e-mail is western_word@yahoo.com.

72

According to Rasmussen Reports “just 18% of American Adults believe it is the government’s job to tell people in this country what kind of light bulb to use. Seventy-two percent (72%) disagree and feel it is not the government’s job to make that call.”

I heard the newer bulbs send off signals that can be picked up from three miles away so that government drones can find your home easier…

That last sentence was a joke, so come out of your bunkers.

50

A ticket for the “Democrats Empowering Women” in Bozeman January 11 will cost $50. That includes dinner.

If you really want to empower women, you can do the “Maggie Smith Hathaway Sponsorship” for $5,000. That entitles you to a table with eight tickets and dinner.

I wonder if you get to keep the table…

31

The supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kim Jong-un, celebrated his 31st birthday on Wednesday. One of his gifts was former NBA player Dennis Rodman singing happy birthday to him.

I guess being a dictator is not as great as it used to be…

11

“The U.S. Department of Justice survey of inmates in 233 state and federal prisons and 358 jails released last year identified Deer Lodge prison as one of 11 with high rates of sexual victimization of inmates.” (Source)

The “Deer Lodge prison” is the Montana State Prison.

Of course officials denied it was that bad; but really what else could they do?

8

Rasmussen Reports also found “that only eight percent (8%) of Likely U.S. Voters think Congress is doing a good or excellent job.”

The 8% must be staffers and relatives…

6

The deputy director of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Mike Volesky, received a deferred prosecution agreement on a misdemeanor assault charge. If he is a good boy for six months the charge will be dismissed.

He allegedly punched another man in downtown Helena. According to reports, “the man had reportedly made a derogatory remark about the woman accompanying Volesky.”

For some reason, that does not seem so bad…

3

ESPN reported, “Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday.”

While those players are worthy of this honor, several former players deserve to be in the Hall of Fame – most notably Pete Rose.

 

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