April 25, 2016

Puerto Rico is in dire financial straits. They are facing a monumental $70 billion debt. BILLION. John Oliver explained in the below clip from Sunday’s Last Week Tonight that Puerto Rico can’t file for bankruptcy due to an unexplainable, tiny provision in a 1984 law.

Oliver said:

“We need to stop treating Puerto Rico like it’s just a tax haven or a place to have terrifying sex with a stranger in a coconut mask, and instead, we have to start treating it like an island of American citizens whose fate is interwoven with ours.”

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda performed a rap specifically about this issue. He ended with this plea:

“If I can help in any way, if I can get more eyeballs to this crisis, it’s a fixable problem. … If Hamilton tickets will help, I’m happy to do that too.”

Hamilton tickets? Sold!

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