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Despite facing backlash from the politically un-savvy who don’t quite understand satire, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver continued his crusade against Election 2016 in his latest episode. Or, as the British wit so lovingly refers to our nationwide circus: “Clowntown Fuck-the-World Shitshow 2016.”
Before delving into his main topic of the week — special taxing districts — the host made a point to address February 28th’s episode and the aftermath of #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain. Oliver brought up the fact that, while many Republicans support Trump, there are a number of high-profile GOP members like Mitt Romney who are hopping on the bandwagon to openly discredit the Republican frontrunner, comparing the rejected Trump to “A kidney dropped on the floor of a Supercuts.”
Oliver, however, is astounded — not by the splitting of the Republican party — but rather, by Trump’s continuous bragging about his, erm, manhood during televised debates. After GOP party candidate Marco Rubio remarked on his competitor’s disproportionately small hands, Trump told a debate crowd, “He referred to my hands: if they’re small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee you.” Ick. “That’s right, Donald Trump just talked about his dick during a presidential debate,” commented Oliver. “A dick that looks like a Cheeto with the cheese dust rubbed off. But that’s just a guess.”
Lowering his gloves for a moment, Oliver proceeded to dive into his main topic of the night: special districts in local government. “Yes, tonight we are talking about special taxing districts,” he began, “So hello people watching for the first time because of my Trump piece. And also, I presume, goodbye! Thanks for checking in!” Then in typical Oliver fashion, the host spotlighted a normally sleep-inducing topic — taxes! — in a way that urges us to not only pay attention, but also to care.
The gist of the segment explains how each state is allotted an exorbitant amount of money each fiscal year — roughly $100 billion — to divvy up between each county’s local districts: parks, sewer, fire, water, etc. Yet, because this money is so poorly mismanaged (and many citizens’ unknowingly belong to multiple districts), some sectors have to pay more than others, which can result in say, your next door neighbor paying $1000 less than you for what should be the same water bill. Oliver blamed the lack of involvement from local citizens, even noting one completely empty local forum hosted by two men with the precise enthusiasm of Leslie Knope.
While Oliver’s main topic of the week wasn’t nearly as flashy or controversial as last Sunday’s, Last Week Tonight reminded us, yet again, why we continue to tune in to a political satire that airs way past our bedtime: to learn something we wouldn’t have necessarily cared to research on our own time. There are few things more boring than taxes, but Oliver (and a couple of adorable guests) managed to make us care about an unglamorous subject that directly affects us, often without our knowing. Watch the entire segment, below.
