The Political Orphanage

Latest Episodes:

Ep 114 | Why Do We Love Conspiracy Theories? | Guest: Jesse Walker May 02, 2019

Show notes

What's in the DNA of a conspiracy theory, and when does it go from benign to dangerous? Jesse Walker is author of "The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory," which identifies the different types of conspiracy theories and charts them from the Salem witch trials through Barack Obama's birth certificate.

Ep 113 | That's Not Socialism, Dammit! | Guest: Justin Haskins May 01, 2019

Show notes

People don't really like pointing to Venezuela, Cambodia, Cuba, or the Soviet Union when they talk about socialism. (What with the deaths.) They like to mention cute sweater-vest countries, like Denmark, that aren't actually socialist. Justin Haskins, executive editor at the Heartland Institute, joins Heaton to talk about what socialism is and isn't, and also when it occasionally gets out of hand and murders hundreds of millions of people.

Ep 112 | The Student Loan Bubble Is Filled with Swamp Gas | Guest: Royce Sharp Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

Student loan debt has surpassed $1.5 trillion dollars — more than credit card debt — prompting some ascendant Democrats to push for loan cancellation and tax-funded university tuition. Heaton figures out what's making it so expensive with filmmaker and friend Royce Sharp.

Ep 111 | Good Fare, Bad Fare, We All Scream for Welfare | Guest: Deanna Easley Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

Deanna Easley rejoins Heaton to talk about welfare: when it works, when it traps, and her experiences on it. Plus, Heaton explains a Biden vs. Trump election through ostrich racing, and producer Jennings comes on with timely feedback.

Ep 110 | The Time the Brits Accused Me of Gun-Smuggling | Guest: Bridget Phetasy Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

Comedian Bridget Phetasy joins Heaton for a Friday Release Valve episode to sort out the week's better headlines, from how the Philippines might trigger World War III, to man-killing birds, to black-market colonoscopies.

Ep 109 | Loneliness Is Worse for Cities than Godzilla | Guest: Tim Carney Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

Did Trump win the election because economically displaced Rust Belt workers wanted a shake-up, or because old white guys can't handle change? Tim Carney rejects that dichotomy and says that the 2016 election had more to do with the nature of the community you hail from: whether it's connected, upwardly mobile, and optimistic, or pessimistic, disconnected, and lonely. His book, "Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse," dives into the nature of American communities and why the disappearance of clubs, churches, and diners is hurting the nation economically and psychologically.

Ep 108 | Am I Castrating Libertarians? | Guest: Gene Epstein Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

Gene Epstein is the director and moderator of the New York-based debate society the Soho Forum and formerly the economics editor at Barron's. He's also Heaton's mentor in economics. He comes on the program to chastise Heaton for his ideological foibles, then to talk about why the Federal Reserve Board is horrible and we should scrap it entirely.

Ep 107 | Conservatives on Climate Change | Guest: Stu Burguiere Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

Stu Burguiere joins Heaton to weigh in on climate change as a conservative — how alarmed we should be and what good and bad policies look like.

Ep 106 | Capitalist Solutions to Global Warming | Guest: Jerry Taylor Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

Jerry Taylor, formerly of the Cato Institute and now president of the Niskanen Center, joins Heaton to talk about what pro-market solutions to global warming look like. Plus, Heaton spices up the Mueller report, and a new whisky-based sponsor.

Ep 105 | Why Robots Will Never Replace Comedians — Friday Release Valve | Guest: Andrea Jones-Rooy Apr 19, 2019

Show notes

Back by popular acclaim, Andrea Jones-Rooy joins Heaton to sift through the week's better headlines, from Pennsylvania's new state amphibian, to dog catchers in tanks, to the Japanese version of "Breaking Bad." Plus, why comedians don't need to worry about getting replaced by robots anytime soon.

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