Welcome! January is moving right along and that’s a good thing! As always, thanks for taking time out of your busy day to read “Thursday Numbers.”

If you are a first-time visitor, 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 the omnibus spending bill, lost money, unemployment, tased and confused in Bozeman, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, mile marker 420, a woman president, millionaires in congress, Rep. Steve Daines, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, cheaters at Malmstrom AFB, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, the government is the problem, military retirement benefits, Jim Harbaugh, Guantanamo Bay, and much more!

1,100,000,000,000

The House approved the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill on Wednesday. The senate should vote on it soon.

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” -Everett Dirksen (Politician 1896-1969)

1,000,000,000

According to this story, “Every year, according to their own recordkeeping, the agencies that administer major federal programs are now paying out more than $100 billion dollars improperly, and even though they’re aware of the problem, they recover only a tiny fraction for taxpayers. This adds up to huge losses for the U.S. Treasury.”

For a couple hundred thousand dollars per year, I will help them recover this money…

326,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week, which was a slight decrease from the week before.

150,000

That’s how much the city of Bozeman has offered to settle “a federal lawsuit that alleges police used excessive force when they shocked a man with a stun gun during a 2007 welfare check.” The man reportedly injured his head in the fall.

Raise your hand if you would like to be tased for $150,000…

1,662

That is how many days Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has been missing. He was captured while serving in Afghanistan. That’s 4 years, 6 months, 18 days. A new video has surfaced that shows he is still alive.

The Obama Administration should do all they can to bring SGT Bergdahl home.

1,582

That’s how many pages there are in the omnibus spending bill.

420

The number “420” is associated with marijuana. In Colorado, where recreational pot is legal, the mile marker 420 sign has been stolen a few times, so they replaced the sign with mile marker 419.99.

Dude….

77

A recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found “that 77% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is at least somewhat likely that a woman will be elected president in the next 10 years.”

70

Rasmussen Reports also found that 70% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is bad for the country that more than half of the members of Congress are millionaires.

67

That’s how many U.S. House members voted against the Omnibus spending bill. The bill passed 359-67. Rep. Steve Daines, R-Mont., voted with the 67.

This will be a good test to see if Daines can convince Montanans that being one of the 67 to vote against the bill was the right vote, and for his opponents to paint him as being against many good programs.

37

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is 37 years old.

36

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is 36 years old.

34

The Associated Press reported, “Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James says 34 missile launch officers have been implicated in a cheating scandal and three others have been implicated in a drug probe, the latest missteps by those who maintain and operate the nation’s 450 nuclear missiles.”

The 34 officers are stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana.

The folks who were busted for drugs at the base must be talking a lot…

26

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is 26 years old.

25

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is 25 years old.

21

According to Gallup, “Americans start the new year with a variety of national concerns on their minds. Although none is dominant, the government, at 21%, leads the list of what Americans consider the most important problem facing the country.”

Our government is the problem? Imagine that…

20

According to a January 14, 2014, press release from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), “As a result of a bipartisan, backroom deal made in December, Congress reduced the annual cost-of-living adjustment for military retirees and survivors, leading to a 20 percent cut to retirement benefits over the course of their lives.”

We need to take better care of our military retirees and veterans. This part of the omnibus bill needs to be fixed ASAP.

8

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh wears $8 khakis from Walmart according to his wife. He makes about $5 million a year.

7

Here are seven words you won’t hear at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

 

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