As the US national debt reaches $22 trillion, one man has an idea to bring that number down slightly.
Ian Hammond has started a Change.org petition calling for the US to sell the state of Montana to Canada for $1 trillion, and the idea is attracting a lot of attention.
The petition has garnered over 11,500 signatures as of Wednesday evening, and Hammond has continued to raise the signature goal as it keeps surpassing each one. The current goal is 15,000 signatures.
The petition makes the case that “We have too much debt and Montana is useless,” adding, “Just tell them [Montana] has beavers or something.”
As the Change.org page continues to gain attention, some members of the Montana legislature are working on pushing a bill that would oppose the sale.
The House State Administration Committee voted 15-5 Tuesday to allow staff to draft a resolution objecting to the idea, according to the Great Falls Tribune.
The Tribune reported that Committee Chairman Forrest Mandeville proposed the resolution as a “bit of fun” during a time when they would be dealing with more odious government responsibilities such as a major state budget bill.
Mandeville told the paper he envisioned writing statements in the bill such as, “Whereas we don’t know the Canadian national anthem after the first two words.”
State Rep. Jessica Karjala responded in jest, “What about those of us who would like more maple syrup, better tea and free healthcare?”
While the bill has since failed to secure enough support to be brought to a vote, Mandeville hopes to find another avenue to bring it to the House floor.
In response to the attention his petition received, Hammond wrote on the Change.org page that he was “just surprised that so many people have ‘backed’ my ’cause.’ ”