John Oliver Uses Cute Kids to Explain Local Government Corruption
On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver tackled special districts. Special districts are small units of government that use tax dollars for one specific thing. They’re poorly regulated, rife with corruption, and have complicated voting systems. So Oliver teamed up with a fifth-grade class in San Diego in hopes of clearing things up a bit. The children described how special districts can use taxpayer money for things like fireworks and cigars, which sounds ridiculous, but these are actual examples of corruption in these entities. While the kids were adorable, the reality was bleak.
It was a fun bit, but special districts are no laughing matter. They spend upwards of $100 billion per year and are technically the most common form of local government. Oliver paired with the youngsters as part of a California initiative to inform the public about special districts. But it wouldn’t be Last Week Tonight without another reality check. It highlighted a county in Illinois with four special districts for spraying mosquitos — yes, that’s a thing — where the mayor of a town contracted West Nile virus from a mosquito bite.
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