It’s better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction. – Diane Grant

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, humor, and bluntness.

One thing is for certain – you will be smarter by reading this column!

This week’s topics include the Powerball lottery, Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann, Jon Tester & the Weapons Generation Facility, unemployment, Boeing Co’s 737 MAX jets, defense spending, government spending, quality-of-living rankings, Paul Manafort, Ann Coulter & miles of border wall built, plus much more!

495,000,000

That’s the estimated jackpot for the next Powerball lottery drawing which will be held Saturday evening, March 16. (Powerball.com)

Good luck!

275,000,000

Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann has filed a $275 million lawsuit against CNN for defamation in regard to an incident at the Lincoln Memorial in January. Last month, Sandmann sued the Washington Post for $250 million over its reporting of the same incident. (Reuters)

These will be interesting cases…

235,000,000

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) announced that the U.S. Air Force made a commitment to build a new $235 million Weapons Generation Facility at Malmstrom Air Force Base, but then failed to guarantee the funds would remain in the budget following the President’s emergency disaster declaration. This facility will replace Malmstrom’s current Nuclear Maintenance Facility, which is used to store and maintain the base’s Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) warheads. (Press Release)

I know first-hand that the Weapons Generation Facility is badly needed and has been for years. It’s critical for the mission and for national security.

229,000

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

737

The United States on Wednesday joined Europe, China and other countries in grounding Boeing Co’s 737 MAX jets, because of safety concerns after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people, the second disaster involving the 737 in less than five months. (Reuters)

I was glad to see the United States ground the planes.

43

As President Donald Trump proposes a nearly 5% increase in U.S. defense spending, 25% of Americans believe the U.S. currently spends too little on defense, while 29% stay it spends too much. Meanwhile, 43% — the highest in 15 years — say it spends about the right amount. (Gallup)

How much is national security worth?

36

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 36% of Likely U.S. Voters think it’s likely government spending will be significantly reduced over the next few years, while 59% consider that unlikely. (Rasmussen)

Both parties spend like drunken sailors – no matter who is in the majority.

34

Global consulting firm Mercer has released its quality-of-living rankings, and, for a 10th year in a row, Vienna took the No. 1 spot. It was followed by Zurich, with Auckland, Munich, and Vancouver tying for third place. You’ll have to scroll all the way down to the 34th spot to find an American city. That honor goes to San Francisco, followed closely by Boston (36), Honolulu (37), New York (44), Seattle (46), Chicago (49), Washington, D.C. (53), Philadelphia (54), and Pittsburgh (59). (MarketWatch)

I still like the USA! #Merica

7.5

President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sentenced to about 3-1/2 more years in prison and was hit with a fresh set of criminal charges in New York on Wednesday. Manafort is due to spend a total of 7-1/2 years behind bars for crimes related to secret lobbying and witness tampering is combined with another of just under four years issued by a different judge in Virginia last Thursday. He has already served nine months of the sentence. (Reuters)

It will be interesting to see if he gets a pardon.

0

According to conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter, that’s the number of miles of wall built on our southern border since Trump has been President. (AnnCoulter.com)

Maybe some of the nutjobs on the right will stop believing everything Trump says. Probably not – they are drunk on the Trump Kool-Aid.

 

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