Quote for today…

I like people who don’t need everyone to like them. – Unknown

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

Topics include – budget surplus ideas, lottery jackpot, COVID numbers, unemployment, Thursday Numbers, TWW poll results, new officers, Biden approval numbers, inflation, Going-to-the-Sun Road, weak sentences, gas prices, and more!

1,000,000,000

Legislative Democrats said Wednesday they want to spend Montana’s sizable budget surplus on a billion-dollar effort to help residents who are struggling with the cost of housing, property taxes, childcare, and mental health services. (MTFP)

The big problem: The Democrats will be in the minority and little of what they want will pass.

Suggestion – Just give every taxpayer a nice fat rebate check and we’ll call it good!

480,000,000

That’s the jackpot for Friday’s Mega Millions lottery. (Source)

You can’t win if you don’t play…

1,023,620

That is how many people have died in the United States from coronavirus, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There have been 89,222,046 cases across the country so far. The first death in the USA was reported on February 29, 2020. (Johns Hopkins)

Last week, the death total was 1,019,083.

244,000

In the week ending July 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 244,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 235,000. The 4-week moving average was 235,750, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 232,500. (DOL)

Note: On Thursdays, this column is published right after 6:30 a.m. (Montana time), so I can post the latest unemployment numbers.

552

The is “Thursday Numbers” column number 552. It all started back on June 9, 2011. (Source)

Thanks for reading!

62

This week’s poll question asked, “Should President Joe Biden run for reelection?” Here are the results:

• NO: 62%
• UNDECIDED: 27%
• YES: 11%

Thanks for participating!

58

Fifty-eight new officers who will serve in 36 agencies across the state graduated Wednesday from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA), which is part of the Montana Department of Justice. MLEA provides basic and advanced training for state, county, city, and tribal law enforcement officers throughout the state. (MT DOJ Press)

Congratulations and thank you! Be safe out there!

38.6

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, that is President Joe Biden’s current approval rating. (Source)

Last week, Biden’s approval rating was 39%.

9.1

U.S. inflation surged to a new four-decade high in June because of rising prices for gas, food, and rent, squeezing household budgets and pressuring the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates aggressively — trends that raise the risk of a recession. The government’s consumer price index soared 9.1% over the past year, the biggest yearly increase since 1981, with nearly half of the increase due to higher energy costs. (AP)

I think things will get better soon, Readers?

7/13

The scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park opened for the 2022 summer season on Wednesday after a spring marked by heavy snow and cool temperatures delayed plowing and maintenance work, park officials said. The July 13 opening matches the road’s latest opening dates since it first opened to the public on July 15, 1933. The alpine highway also opened on July 13 in 2011 due to a late snowpack and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP)

Now that it’s open, winter can’t be too far away…

5

A Maryland man who used a lacrosse stick attached to a Confederate battle flag to shove a police officer during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to five months in prison, according to a Justice Department spokesman. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also sentenced David Alan Blair, to 18 months of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution, (AP)

These weak sentences are comical. Why even bother?

0.084 – 11.44

That is the range of the price per gallon of gas around the world as of July 11, 2022. (Source)

In the USA, the average price on July 11 was $4.91. The week before (July 4), the average price in the USA was $5.01.

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