Podcast
The Political Orphanage
Hosted by Andrew Heaton · EN
Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.
52episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Revenge of the Non-Profits
1w ago00:33:04Tap to summarizeBrian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast returns to The Political Orphanage for a spirited pushback episode on the modern non-profit industry. In a previous conversation, we argued that sprawling tax-exempt organizations can become bloated, unaccountable, and more interested in perpetuating themselves than solving problems. Brian arrives armed with skepticism, data, and counterarguments. Do non-profits actually dodge property taxes? Are giant charities a public good or just corporations with better branding? And when does cynicism about institutions become its own kind of ideological blind spot? This episode dives into philanthropy, incentives, tax policy, and the uneasy overlap between altruism and bureaucracy—with plenty of disagreement along the way. This interview was edited for purposes of clarity and brevity. When I significantly alter an interview I make the uncut version available, just in case: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1szkeykHYAmerFXpeDTww2o_uHyLsj1_2/view?usp=sharing
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George Washington's Anti-Daddy
2w ago01:43:26Tap to summarizeWhy did the United States become a stable republic while so many revolutions ended in dictatorship? The answer lies in two men pivitol to the Revolution: George Washington... and Oliver Cromwell. A century before George Washington, Cromwell fought a king in the name of liberty, overthrew the monarchy, and then—step by step—became everything he opposed. Washington would later face many of the same temptations: an unpaid army loyal to him, politicians begging him to stay in power, even a proposal to become king. This is the story of two revolutionary generals, two republics, and why America stayed on the path of democracy instead of descending into a military junta. BECOME A PATRON! www.JoinTheOrph.com
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How Harlots Saved America (Rebroadcast)
3w ago00:39:01Tap to summarizeWhat if history isn't a string of great man biopics or a struggle between conservatives and progressives? What if it's a battle of disciplinarians against drunks and harlots? Thaddeus Russell comes on to talk about his book, "A Renegade History of the United States."
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America's Dueling Enlightenments (Rebroadcast)
3w ago01:14:51Tap to summarizeThe Founding Fathers were all children of the Enlightenment, and they agreed on kicking King George out, but they never agreed on how to run the country. Seth Radwell, author of American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing Our Nation joins on to discuss these two halves of our Founding, and how they are ultimately complimentary.
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Cicero and the Founding Fathers (Rebroadcast)
3w ago01:08:57Tap to summarizeJeffrey Rosen is a legal scholar and the President of the National Constitution Center. He's the author "the Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America."
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Zuby Grew up in a Company Town
4w ago00:51:18Tap to summarizeZuby is a British rapper who spent his childhood on a Saudi Aramco compound—a sprawling corporate community complete with schools, recreation, housing, and services. We discuss what it was like growing up in a place where one company effectively functioned as the local government, and whether company towns deserve their bad reputation. Then the conversation takes an unexpected turn. Having also lived in Dubai, Zuby reflects on how one of the world's most diverse and immigrant-heavy societies manages to maintain remarkably high social trust, low crime, and social cohesion. What can Dubai teach us about community, culture, and governance? And what assumptions do Westerners make about diversity that may not hold true elsewhere? It's a conversation about company towns, global cities, social trust, and the strange places that challenge our political priors.
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(Preview) Vampire Bats Thwart Henry Ford
Jun 1800:08:13Tap to summarizeHenry Ford revolutionized manufacturing, built the modern automobile industry, and amassed one of the greatest fortunes in American history. Then he decided to conquer the Amazon. In this installment of our series on company towns, we explore Fordlandia—the bizarre Midwestern utopia Ford attempted to build in the Brazilian jungle. It had golf courses, square dancing, vegetarian cafeterias, anti-soccer policies, and enough cultural arrogance to power a small nation. It also had malaria, jaguars, vampire bats, riots, crop failures, and one of the most spectacular corporate disasters ever conceived. Join Heaton for the strange, hilarious, and cautionary tale of what happens when industrial genius collides with nature, culture, and the limits of human planning. HEAR THE FULL EPISODE: www.thepoliticalorphanage.com
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The Dark Side of Corporate Utopia: Pullman vs. Hershey
Jun 1701:04:56Tap to summarizeGeorge Pullman built his employees a sparkling company town with clean homes, parks, libraries, luxury trains, and some of the best living conditions in the country—but demanded obedience in return. When recession hit and workers rebelled against wage cuts and paternalistic control, the conflict exploded into one of the most violent labor crises in American history. Featuring Eugene V. Debs, federal troops in Chicago, luxury sleeper trains, class warfare, and a rogue alligator loose in South Chicago, this is the story of how America nearly tore itself apart over the question: can capitalism become humane without becoming authoritarian? SUPPORT THE SHOW! Patreon.com/andrewheaton www.thepoliticalorphanage.com PayPal: andrew@mightyheaton.com Venmo: @mightyheaton
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(Preview) The Socialist Who Bought a Town
Jun 1100:07:54Tap to summarizeRobert Owen was a factory owner, a social reformer, the father of British socialism… and possibly the nicest company-town tyrant in history. Long before Karl Marx called for revolution, Owen tried to build a kinder version of capitalism: humane factories, universal education, shorter work days, and workers treated like human beings instead of expendable machinery. His model industrial town at New Lanark became world famous, attracting kings, intellectuals, and even the Tsar of Russia. But success convinced Owen he could go further. So he sold everything and moved to Indiana to build a socialist utopia from scratch. What followed was a chaotic experiment involving communal child rearing, endless committee meetings, militant intellectuals, religious clashes, labor shortages, and eventually… the ghost of Thomas Jefferson. In this episode, Heaton travels to Scotland to explore the strange rise and catastrophic collapse of Robert Owen's alternate-universe socialism—and asks whether history might have looked very different if Owenism, rather than Marxism, had become the dominant socialist tradition.
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The Emperor of Epcot: Walt Disney and Company Towns
Jun 1001:08:49Tap to summarizeWhat if your landlord was also your boss, mayor, bartender, and moral hall monitor? This week, Andrew Heaton talks with Brian Brushwood about the strange history of company towns—from industrial utopias to corporate feudalism—and the thin line between benevolent planning and creepy social engineering. Then they venture into Walt Disney's original vision for EPCOT: not a theme park, but a living futuristic city under a climate-controlled dome, where corporations tested new technologies on actual residents. Was Disney imagining a dazzling city of tomorrow, or accidentally inventing a family-friendly version of Brave New World?
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