China to buy Kansas

And the award for best April Fool’s I’ve seen goes to... Chris Clayton of DTN:

In a move to help alleviate U.S. debt obligations, China announced a formal offer has been made to the Obama administration to buy Kansas for $2 trillion.

Sources within the administration say negotiations have been going on for weeks with Chinese officials first proposing to buy Iowa. But politically Obama was unwilling to sacrifice the state where he won his first presidential battle in early 2008. Obama was, however, encouraged to part with Kansas even though his mother was from the Sunflower state. A 16-point loss in Kansas in the 2008 general election, coupled with the Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats screwing up the president's NCAA brackets made Kansas a more attractive parcel to sell.

Chinese officials cited Kansas' agricultural output in staples such as wheat and beef, as well as the vast expanse of largely unpopulated and unsettled land.

"This is a (expletive) big deal," Biden said. "Not only can we balance the budget, but we can get Pat Roberts out of the Senate too."

Bravo. The comments are also good.