Comedy

The Political Orphanage

Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.

Latest Episodes:

Jeff Maurer: Revenge of the Low-Flow Toilets Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

What is the government doing which is irritating, and what is irritating that the government can assist with?

Topics covered today include: paper straws, low-flow toilets, pennies, nickels, mail, and quitting gym membership.

Jeff Maurer, author of "I Might Be Wrong" on Substack joins to discuss.

Jonathan Rauch: Christianity Dropped the Ball on Democracy Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

Jonathan Rauch asserts that as the American Church has become increasingly concerned with the culture war and politics, it has become secularized and unappealing to its members, who are abandoning it. The result is a country increasingly spiritually adrift, churches distracted from their core missions, and a nation turning to politics as a substitute.

He is the author of Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Promise with Democracy

Sex by the Numbers Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Who's having sex, and how much of it are they having? Who's getting married and who's getting divorced? Does money, somehow, possibly, effect any of this?

Cathy Reisenwitz of "Sex & The State" joins to discuss.

TRADE WAR! (Probably) Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

Trump erected, then delayed, tariffs on Canada and Mexico, but has levied tariffs on China–which is apt to escalate things shortly. What happens in a trade war and why are they bad? And what is happening now, specifically, in whatever's going on with Canada? Heaton breaks down the macroeconomics, and James Thatcher explains the unfolding situation.

Discord: www.mightyheaton.com/discord

Trump's Whack-A-Mole with Federal Employees Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

The Trump administration is reclassifying federal workers as Schedule F, making them easier to fire, and put a stop to remote work. In hopes of compelling federal employees to quit, and thereby shrink the government workforce.

Heaton makes the case that if your goal is to shrink government, this is a counter productive way to do it.

Death Row Pen Pals Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

Kirsten Brink is pen pals with prisoners who have been sentenced to death in Texas, as well as other people currently incarcerated in our penitentiaries. She joins to discuss how she got into the program, what it's like having friendships with people inside the klink, and how others can get involved and help.

Write A Prisoner: https://writeaprisoner.com/

Wire of Hope: https://wireofhope.com/inmate-penpal-listings/

The Justice Network: https://www.thejusticenetwork.com/

How Billionaires Think About Philanthropy Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

Laura and John Arnold are the founders and co-chairs of Arnold Ventures. Started in 2008, Arnold Ventures is a self-funded philanthropy hyper-focused on pinpointing the root causes of our country's most pressing ills, whether that be disparities in health care and education, or dysfunction in our public finance systems. They advocate for evidence-based policy proposals that yield the kind of transformative change really only possible at the government level. They're also signatories of the Giving Pledge.

We'll Watch Your Dog While You're in Rehab Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

Pause for Paws is a charity in Tulsa, OK that fosters dogs on behalf of owners who need to seek help at a homeless shelter, rehab clinic, or mental health services. By giving people piece of mind with their pets during their absence, Pause for Paws takes care of two things–the pets in that moment, but also the people trying to get their affairs in order, to return to normal life. Evan Taylor and Cindy Webb join to discuss their organization.

LINKS:

Pause for Paws: https://www.pause4pawsok.org/

Charity Week: www.mightyheaton.com/charity

Episodes Pertaining to Homelessness:

"Homelessness, And Our Stupid Solutions" https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/homelessness-and-our-stupid-solutions

"The Best Tiny House Village in America" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-tiny-house-village-in-america/id1439837349?i=1000549032659

A Theme Park for Kids with Disabilities (And Everyone) Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Morgan's Wonderland is an ultra-accessible amusement park in which all of the rides have been engineered so that no one is excluded, no one is ever sitting on the sidelines. If your child has special needs, is in a wheel chair, is Autistic, has hearing or vision loss, or some other issue--take them to Morgan's Wonderland. Gordon Hartman is Morgan's dad and the founder of Morgan's Wonderland. He joins to discuss.

LINKS:

Morgan's Wonderland: https://morgans.org/

The Alzheimer's Choir Jan 20, 2025

Show notes

Love Notes Chorus in Austin, Texas is a choir for people with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or their caregivers.

Directors Edie Elkjer and Susie Higley join to discuss how music effects people with cognitive issues, and how their organization assists.

Links:

Love Notes Austin: www.lovenoteschorus.com

The Giving Voice: https://minnesotajcc.org/art-culture/giving-voice/#:~:text=GIVING%20VOICE%20CHORUS%20is%20a,adaptive%20methods%20and%20structured%20direction.

Charity Week: www.mightyheaton.com/charity

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