If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun. – Katharine Hepburn

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include campaign ads, unemployment, Stapleton, Minnesota Twins, Hugh M. Hefner, the total solar eclipse, Trump’s tweets, a third political party, job approval, kneeling during the national anthem, University of Montana enrollment, the Montana VA Health Care System, and much more!

900,000

In a fundraising email, the campaign for U.S. Senator Jon Tester claims, “outside groups already dumped $900,000 into ads against Jon.”

The way it currently stands, they will need to “dump” a lot more than that to beat him…

272,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

5,264.48

The Montana Post blog reports that Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton or someone in his office took some trips on the taxpayer dime, with hotel charges of $1,400.03 and $1,245.39 at the Westin Hotel in Nova Scotia in May and June 2017. On June 21, the Secretary’s office also spent $2,618.96 at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand.

If my math is correct, that adds up to $5,264.48. Read the full column HERE. Maybe Stapleton or his spokesperson will explain these expenses.

103

The Minnesota Twins lost 103 games last season (2016). This year they are in the American League playoffs. (ESPN) Congrats to the Twins.

The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs begin October 3.

91

American Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner passed away Wednesday. He was 91. (@Playboy)

88

Eighty-eight percent of American adults viewed the August total solar eclipse directly or electronically, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. The audience of 215 million adults is nearly twice the size of the viewership of recent Super Bowl football games. (Billings Gazette)

69

A Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday found that voters say 69 – 26 percent that Trump should stop tweeting.

Don’t you dare stop tweeting, Mr. President!

61

That’s the percent of people who think the United States needs a third political party – the highest Gallup Polling has ever recorded. (Gallup)

We do need a new political party!

56

American voters say 56 – 42 percent that President Donald Trump is not “fit to serve as president,”, and voters disapprove 57 – 36 percent of the job he is doing as president, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday.

Virtually no President has accomplished what we have accomplished in the first 9 months-and economy roaring. –Tweet by President Donald Trump (09/27/2017)

55

Fifty-five percent of voters in the latest Fox News poll see kneeling during the national anthem as an inappropriate form of protest. That’s down six percentage points from 61 percent who felt that way a year ago (September 2016). (Fox News)

22

Since Saturday, President Trump has tweeted about 22 times (by my count) about the NFL and players taking a knee during the National Anthem.

There are many more important things happening in this world. See my column on Monday about the President and the NFL, HERE. 

4.5

After years of declining student admissions, University of Montana officials said Wednesday they see positive signs in fall numbers despite the overall enrollment drop of 4.5 percent. (Missoulian)

It’s tough to spin these numbers as being positive. The brand is tainted.

3

The Great Falls Tribune reports that the Montana VA Health Care System has received a three-star rating for quality, improving its one-star grade from earlier this year, officials said Wednesday. The ratings range from 1-5 stars.

It’s good to see improvement.

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