John Oliver Rips on Hobby Lobby and Supreme Court in Searing Segment

In a prescient piece, Oliver takes on the idea of corporate personhood

Not only did John Oliver stand up for gay rights on Sunday night, he also went after Hobby Lobby and its anti-contraception case in front of the Supreme Court.

The chain of privately owned hobby supply stores sued the federal government for requiring them to provide coverage for contraception in their employee health insurance plans, objecting based on supposed religious beliefs. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled on Monday that “closely held” companies — or, companies with one owner that had more than fifty percent of the shares — could be excused from executing the contraception mandate.

See video: John Oliver Dedicates Show to Uganda’s Brutal Anti-Gay Laws — And America’s Responsibility 

So, yeah, the Supreme Court didn’t listen to Oliver, but it’s a shame; he had some very good points.

“Government is not an à la carte system where you can pick and choose based on your beliefs,” Oliver said, making a smart — if unexpected — analogy. “Taxation is more of an all-you-can-eat salad bar. You don’t get to show up and say, ‘Look, I know it costs $10.99, but I’m only paying $7.50 because I have a moral objection to beets.”

See video: George R.R. Martin and Tap Dancing Steve Buscemi Help John Oliver Tear Apart Dr. Oz

Then, Oliver hit the biggest point of all.

“If you really want to be treated like a person, corporations,” he added, bringing the situation back to the Citizens United ruling that deemed corporations were people and thus could make political donations, “then guess what? Paying for things you don’t like is what it feels like to be one.”

He also gave some really great examples of why corporate personhood is just so ridiculous, as seen in the tweets below (and watch the video at Mediaite):

 

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