

The Political Orphanage
Andrew Heaton
Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 6, 2021 • 52min
George Will on Synthetic Hysteria
George F. Will is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, and the author of "American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008-2020." He joins the show to discuss the Culture War, failings of academia, jurisprudence, politics, and economics. Find Mr. Will's book at mightyheaton.com/featured Previous George Will interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/03-george-will-saves-america-baseball-the-gop-etc/id1439837349?i=1000445244846

Sep 30, 2021 • 56min
Politicians Hate Big Tech
Robby Soave is a senior editor at Reason, and the author of "Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future." He comes to discuss politicians' misplaced anger with large tech companies, and why their fears are unfounded. Find his book at: www.mightyheaton.com/featured

Sep 23, 2021 • 1h 15min
Society Once Tried to Ban Teddy Bears
Jason Feifer is the host of "Build for Tomorrow" (formerly "The Pessimist Archives") and joins the show to discuss why we needlessly react to new technologies with fear. Did you know that society once balked at the dangerous technologies of radios, novels, and teddy bears? We get into all of them on today's show! SUPPORT THE SHOW: www.patreon.com/andrewheaton

Sep 15, 2021 • 27min
Bonus: What Napoleon Teaches Us About Foreign Policy
This week bonus episodes are going on the main feed, past the paywall! Here's a rerun from last year, about Napoleon Bonaparte, and the pitfalls of "liberating" other nations. To support the show, go to www.patreon.com/andrewheaton

Sep 14, 2021 • 1h 4min
How To Zero In On Reality
The default position for politics is advocacy—promoting our team and opposing the other. Julia Galef proposes an alternate mindset, where we try to determine the reality of a situation even if it's uncomfortable. She is the author of "The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't." Book at www.mightyheaton.com/featured

Sep 8, 2021 • 59min
How To Destroy a Country In Four Years
The Khmer Rouge was a brutal communist regime that ruled Cambodia for only four years, but in that brief period entirely destroyed its economy, wiped out its intellectual class, and horribly murdered a quarter of its population. In this history episode we investigate one of the world's worst regimes, the depths of its depravity, and how it explains a specific type of terror present in other countries today.

Aug 31, 2021 • 1h 11min
Are We Fixing or Ruining Welfare? (WSPN Roundtable)
Joe Biden's Child Tax Credit sends direct money to families, no strings attached. Is it cutting down on wasteful bureaucracy and reducing hurdles to financial aid, or enabling a culture of joblessness? The World's Smartest Podcast Network rejoins to discuss, as well as: Rich People Island, the future of remote work, and Soviet Space dogs.

Aug 27, 2021 • 13min
Friday Release Valve is Back! (But Moving)
Friday Release Valve (where we kick around the best, underserved headlines of the week) is returning--but moving to its own podcast. New episodes will appear on the new show titled "Friday Release Valve," along with a backlog of old episodes, funny commercials, and sketches. To find the new show, go to www.mightyheaton.com/frv or search for "Friday Release Valve" on your podcast player of choice.

Aug 25, 2021 • 1h 3min
How Zoning Laws Screwed Up Everything
Housing regulations have resulted in widespread urban sprawl, ethnic redlining, multi-generational poverty, and all manner of other ills. Jeff Maurer of "I Might Be Wrong" on Substack and Jeremiah Johnson of The Neoliberal Podcast join to discuss how zoning laws have hurt America, and ways to rectify them. This episode is sponsored by Ground News - The world's first news comparison platform. Download Ground News for free here: https://ground.news/orphanage

Aug 19, 2021 • 31min
Bonus: The Alternative to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill dealt with evil by confrontation. What's his opposite? This is a bonus history episode from July of last year, in the context of the forthcoming 2020 election and the George Floyd protests. Bonus episodes come out ever week on top of the regular show. To access them, head to patreon.com/andrewheaton


