Is Sweden a socialist paradise? What do they do right and what have they screwed up on? Most importantly, what can Americans steal, replicate, and improve upon?

To find out, I abducted the handsome and urbane intellectual Johan Norberg.

Also I visit the ABBA Museum. 

Finland routinely winds up at the top of global happiness surveys. Why?

In this episode, I flew to Helsinki to wander around and chat up locals. Trying to figure out why:

• Their social trust is so teeteringly high

• How their social safety nets work

• How this combines to result in their contentedness.

So that we can steal all that, and replicate it.

Relevant Episode: The Nordic Theory of Everything

https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/the-nordic-theory-of-everything-52a?r=1moac

It turns out, young voters (under fifty) are openly hostile to political parties, and are most likely to flip from election to election. This means the game is about to change as Millennials displace Baby Boomers as the largest voting bloc. So what happens?

Adam Brandon is a senior advisor at The Independent Center, and the former and final president of FreedomWorks.

He joins the show to discuss how an electoral surgical strike of a few house seats could introduce seismic waves to American politics.

Greg Lukianoff is the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and along with Nadine Strossen, is the author of "The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech--And Why They Fail."

Does the Fed achieve its own stated goals? What are underlying ethical or practical issues with it? Soho Forum founder and economist Gene Epstein joins to make the case against the Federal Reserve.

The SoHo Forum: https://www.thesohoforum.org/

Uncut Gene Epstein interview on the Federal Reserve: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h_8wTj-0VrlMWsrtI6iIsewKvjZworu_/view?usp=sharing

What is the purported aim of the Federal Reserve? Why is it independent, or shoot for 2% targeted inflation? In part one of our series on the Fed, Jeremiah Johnson of the New Liberal podcast joins to explain, discuss, and field objections.

How can an unscrupulous person get elected to high office and make a buck by abusing public trust? To look into this matter we speak with former congressman (and former lobbyist) Scott Klug. 

Melissa Chan and Badiucao have both been exiled from the People's Republic of China; the former as a journalist and the latter as an artist and political cartoonist.

They join the show to discuss censorship and authoritarianism in China, and their new book, "You Must Take Part in Revolution: A Graphic Novel."

Ever wonder why Canada didn’t become the 14th colony during the American War of Independence? It turns out, America invited Canada to join.

Then, when they turned down the invitation, invaded.

Then again in 1812.

In this episode we return to States that Weren’t: Canada. Plus, how Nova Scotia and Newfoundland almost became states.

www.ThePoliticalOrphanage.com

America is littered with lots of almost-states, which very nearly joined the Union in their own right, but for some reason did not. In today’s episode we cover Vandalia, Transylvania, Westylvania, Franklin, and Nickajack. By investigating these almost-states, we delve into constitutional law on matters of succession, and tap into a centuries-old conflict between populist hillbillies and English lordlings.

www.ThePoliticalOrphanage.com