Some would say that $100 million is no bargain. It is West Virginia after all…
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – An attempt to auction off the state of West Virginia drew 56 bids and nearly enough promised dollars to fill the state’s projected budget hole before eBay learned of the joke.
By Tuesday evening, with five days to go in the sale of item number 2372779353, “Entire State of West Virginia,” bidders had bumped the ante up to just $1 short of $100 million.
“As an eBay consumer myself … that’s a heck of a bargain!” joked Amy Shuler Goodwin, spokeswoman for Gov. Bob Wise, who’s projecting a $120 million deficit for fiscal 2005.
But you could rename it South Ohio and maybe make a small profit on the resale…
Or sell it back to Virginia. People are already commuting from DC to WV so they can afford a house. It’ll make ’em feel better if they don’t have to cross state lines.
Would Virginia want it back?
Maybe Kansas would like some mountains. Hmmm. “Wheeling, East Kansas”…