John Oliver digs into the surplus of crap that is the GOP's sudden national debt alarmism Screenshot: Last Week Tonight “I don’t know,” is a blessed phrase all too infrequently uttered in this age of sneering snap judgements and people who think a farting Peter Griffin gif is a killer comeback to one’s nuanced point about social justice. And yet, Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver readily admitted, partway through his Sunday main story about the national debt, that he truly doesn’t know all the ins and outs of whether America’s current $28 trillion debt is the sort of red alert a number that big sounds like. Even if, Oliver notes, he’s the sort of guy who looks like he has thoughts about the relative merits of different brands of graphing calculator, he’s a late-night comedian, and not an economist. (Who also occasionally screws with the purveyors of Big Debt.) The thing is, anyone who examines the complex issue of debt and deficits (there’s a difference, as Oliver helpfully points out) also knows precious little about the intricacies of projecting the nation’s future financial health, at least if they’re being honest.