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:

Friday Release Valve: Dutch Snowman Murders Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

NSFK - Nick Sperdute and Andrew Young rejoin the show to discuss the week's best, underserved headlines including: horrific Scottish street brawl and/or courtship injuries, corn flake narcotics, and the world's laziest guard dog.

How to Spook the Politics Industry Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Politicians fear their base, so they play to their base--and disregard moderates, independents, and members of the rival party.

Elected leaders can store up campaign war chests, but they can't net excess votes or store them for the next election.

What are the bad structural elements we've built into our system, and how do we rearrange them?

Katherine Gehl is the author of "The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy"

Fake News Headlines: The Game Show Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

We're gamifying funny headlines! Everyone on the show gets a funny headline, but some are real and some are fake news. Each team hears the headlines, asks probing questions, then guesses which is real and which is fictitious.

Host: Andrew Heaton Team Captains: Andrew Young and Jeremey Kareken Guests: Nicholas Sperdute, Brian Sack, Jack Helmuth, Andrea Jones-Rooy

Please Don't Double the Minimum Wage Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

I swear I'm not evil. I have good reasons for believing we shouldn't spike the national minimum wage to $15 per hour. I'll explain why, as the U.S. Senate deliberates on whether or not to double it.

The Return of Kid Cop - Friday Release Valve Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

Justin Robert Young returns to go over the week's best, underserved headlines, including an octogenarian newspaper boy, the cannabis lounge which saves the day, and ridiculous French labor laws.

The Economics of Happiness Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

Economist Steve Horwitz joins the program to talk about the limits of markets and the state: what problems can they solve and what are they ill suited for? When do either go off the rails?

Steve Horwitz is the Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana; Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center, Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, and Economics Editor at the Cato Institute. He's also the 2020 recipient of the Julian L. Simon Memorial Award.

Don't Drive on Laughing Gas - Friday Release Valve Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan rejoin the show to discuss the world's best, underserved headlines--a surprising amount of which originate in Belgium this week. Including: a giggly way to endanger lives on the road, a disgraced Hungarian politico, and felons with strong opinions on parenting.

Gun Deaths by the Numbers Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

Hello orphans! Today we're doing a deep dive into gun crime statistics: where homicides are concentrated, what kind of guns are used, how we stack up to other countries, and so forth. The goal here is to puncture through pro gun and pro gun control rhetoric to glimpse the real landscape of weapons and death in America. So that we can skip bumper sticker aphorisms and have smart policy conversations. Guy Smith is the author of "Guns and Control: A Nonpartisan Guide to Understanding Mass Public Shootings, Gun Accidents, Crime, Public Carry, Suicides, Defensive Use, and More"

TO DONATE TO THE SHOW: patreon.com/andrewheaton Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1 PayPal: andrew@mightyheaton.com

Bigfoot Hunting Season - Friday Release Valve Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

Nick Sperdute and Andrew Young return to discuss the week's best, underserved headlines. Including stories about Scottish stamp lickers, why a man lived in an airport for three months, and the button Joe Biden just removed from the desk in the Oval Office.

You can hang out on the Discord server by going to mightyheaton.com/discord

Reddit vs Wall Street Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

Last week Robinhood suspended trades on volatile Gamestop stocks, halting Reddit gadflies from utterly destroying a hedge fund which had shorted it. Why'd they cap things off when so many regular folk were poised to make millions? A Wall Street conspiracy? Regulatory hurdles? Jen Briney of The Congressional Dish joins the show to discuss. YOU CAN DONATE TO THE SHOW:

patreon.com/andrewheaton Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1 PayPal: andrew@mightyheaton.com

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