An online petition calls for rather a novel way for the U.S. to partially solve its rapidly expanding national debt: Just sell the state of Montana to Canada for $1 trillion.
And the petition, on Change.org, is a hit, The Hill notes. It asks for 10,000 signatures, and, as of Tuesday afternoon, more than 9,180 people have signed it since the petition was posted.
“We have too much debt and Montana is useless,” the petition reads. “Just tell them it has beavers or something.”
But even in the unlikely event that Canada purchased Montana, that $1 trillion is barely a drop in the bucket for the national debt, falling a good $22 trillion short.
This has left the editors of the Montana-based Great Falls Tribune to jokingly ask in an editorial:
“Are you trying to hurt our feelings, man?”
But they also had several more pertinent questions, including:
“What do Americans do about the other $20 trillion in national debt? $1 trillion would only cover a year’s federal deficit (projected to be $985 billion in 2019.)
“Does the universal healthcare start right away, or would there be a waiting period?”
“Can we take Yellowstone National Park with us?”
Ian Hammond, who created the petition and originally posted it to Reddit said the response has been “epic.”
“I’m not here to complain or anything, just surprised that so many people have ‘backed’ my ’cause,'” he said in a comment on the site.
And as the editorial noted, many of those signing are from Montana. These folks had a few of their own questions. One person wanted to know if Montana could be called Baja Alberta or Monterio. Others wanted to know what the asking price for California would be, and would Mexico pay for Texas? Some wanted to know if Montana could be traded for Quebec.
Another reader couldn’t resist this feisty jibe:
“What if instead we sell Saskatchewan to the U.S. and then on the map Americans would be flipping off the rest of the world like they always do?”
Some Montana residents say they like the idea because weed is legal in Canada, and there’s no “embarrassing” Donald Trump to deal with.
They certainly have a point. Here’s a bit more information below.
Featured image by Ian Hammond via Change.org
