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:

Ep. 51 | The NFL Team Not Stealing from Taxpayers | Guest: Eric Boehm Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

Heaton unleashes a tirade about football, and what he'd do to improve it. (Hint: it involves horses.) Then he invites on Reason's Eric Boehm to discuss stadium subsidies, and the graft and incompetency which keeps taxpayers on the hook for millions. Heaton also determines which NFL team to endorse based entirely on the one not taking handouts.

Ep. 50 | What Your Hunter-Gatherer Genes Really Want | Guest: Sebastian Junger Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

Sebastian Junger is the author of "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging." He joins Heaton to talk about how the world we've made is ill-fitting and alienating to the hunter-gatherer genes we've inherited, and what you can do to feel less lonely in the twenty-first century.

Ep. 49 | Why Does Everyone Hate Howard Schultz? | Guest: Turner Sparks Jan 31, 2019

Show notes

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is thinking about running for president, which has enraged the Democratic party. Comedian Turner Sparks joins to explain why, and Heaton details the single issue Schultz can push to make him relevant as an outsider. Plus, Heaton makes an impassioned speech about why he would make a fantastic ambassador.

Ep. 48 | Would Norman Rockwell legalize prostitution? | Guest: Elizabeth Nolan Brown Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown joins Heaton to explain why porn is legal but prostitution is not, how the Internet can replace pimps, and the general benefits of decriminalizing sex work.

Ep. 47 | Venezuela's Utterly Avoidable Catastrophe | Guest: Brian Brushwood Jan 29, 2019

Show notes

Venezuela's economy hit rock bottom, then just kept digging straight to the septic tank. Now there are rival presidents vying for power over a starving populace. Magician and deputized foreign policy expert Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to assess the once-wealthy nation's plunge into full-blown socialism and economic collapse.

Ep. 46 | Media Pet Peeves | Guest: J. W. Crump Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

Comedy writer J. W. Crump joins Heaton to discuss irritating things the media does, the difference between diversity and tokenism in reporting, and what to do about all that bias lurking beneath the surface.

Ep. 45 | Why We'll Never Need a Pencil Czar | Guest: Tom Woods Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

Tom Woods, historian and podcaster extraordinaire, joins Heaton for a philosophical romp through the Enlightenment. By focusing on "spontaneous order" and how the concept has redefined power and civilization, you'll get ample evidence for why we'll never need a Federal Department of Shoes, a President of Physics, or a National Podcasting Commissar.

Ep. 44 | Prince Philip, Volcano God | Guest: Chad Prather Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

Prince Philip is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and is also worshiped as a volcano god by a small island in the Pacific. Comedian Chad Prather joins Heaton to go over his biography, and get to know everyone's favorite 97-year-old royal.

Ep. 43 | The Various Species of Democrats | Guest: John DeVore Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

Self-described "flaming liberal writer" John DeVore joins Heaton to describe the internal makeup of the Democratic Party, and the factions within vying for power. They also get into tribalism, why markets are awesome, and why Heaton thinks socialism prolonged the Great Depression.

Ep. 42 | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Death of Math | Guest: Liz Wolfe Jan 22, 2019

Show notes

Socialism has returned to America in the form of a crotchety senator from Vermont and a vivacious young lady from the Bronx. Liz Wolfe, managing editor at The Federalist and Playboy contributor, joins Heaton to discuss the more egregious aspects of AOC's policy proposals, and the irritating potshots her detractors make instead of solid arguments.

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