The Political Orphanage

The Laws and Economics of Treasure Hunting

Jun 22, 2022

Let’s talk to a treasure hunter about the laws and politics of finding old gold at the bottom of the ocean!

Who owns the gold? Do governments squabble over it? What ratio of lawyers to diving equipment do you need to salvage and sell said gold?

Chip Forsythe is establishing a multi-million dollar treasure...

A Spock and Scotty Approach to Gun Control

Jun 16, 2022

Let’s take a numbers-first approach to gun legislation. In the wake of horrible mass shootings, gun control and advocacy groups are digging their heals, and often relying on bumper sticker canards. Rather than approaching this issue ideologically, or even inductively, we’re going to look at ways to dramatically...

Other Nations Are Insufficiently Horny

Jun 8, 2022

"Demographic Winter" occurs when a nation's population growth is so bottlenecked that its labor is unable to sustain the economy in basics like tax revenue, health care services--and food. Much of the developed world, with laggardly birthrates, is poised to tumble off that demographic cliff.

Ken Gronbach is an...

Real Science Hates Scientism

Jun 1, 2022

What happens when authorities try to shield their decisions by draping themselves in lab coats?

What's the difference between the Scientific Method, and a religious "appeal to authority" where the authority is a scientist we agree with?

Ron Hayden joins to discuss the difference between science and scientism, and the...