It's been 246 years since George Washington watched his army limp its way into winter quarters at Valley Forge. The enemy held the capital, the Congress was unable to do anything, the army had spent the year getting beaten by the British, and w

10 - The Electoral Playground

Jun 9th, 2023 19m 40s

Not ones to leave the U.S. Constitution alone, the dogs and I decide to abolish the Electoral College. This puts us at odds not only with the small states of the Union, but with our favorite Founding Father (and birthday buddy) Alexander Hamilt

09 - Ben Franklin Bets On America

Dec 30th, 2022 17m 19s

America’s wisest old man was writing his last will and testament. Benjamin Franklin had plenty of people to leave his fortune to – his son William Franklin, former royal governor of New Jersey. His grandson, Temple Franklin, who had been Ben’s

08 - The Jury Congress

Oct 1st, 2022 19m 11s

I served on a jury once, and if that makes you doubt both the stability and effectiveness of the American justice system, well, just imagine how I felt when I got the summons.But I have to say the experience went pretty well, and justice (I thi

07 - The National Debt

Sep 3rd, 2022 17m 6s

In the early days of the American Republic, Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, argued that a certain amount of national debt was a good thing. There was no way a country that was four days old was going to be able to rais

06 - Now It's A Party

Jul 30th, 2022 28m 15s

Do you ever think about why you vote for a particular political party?Maybe you’re a Democrat because you really love the way that James K. Polk got us Texas, California, and Oregon in the 1840’s, despite the objections of Abraham Lincoln. Mayb

05 - If It's For Sale Let's Buy It

Jul 6th, 2022 9m 45s

The dogs and I are starting a GoFundMe campaign to raise five billion dollars. We have a pretty big purchase in mind. We’re going to buy the Congress of the United States. Get your credit cards out and start making your legislative wish lists,

04 - All Or Nothing

Jul 4th, 2022 16m 21s

Our political leaders always give us choices when it comes to solving the nation's problems. Two of them: All or nothing. Mass shooting? What we need are more guns. Or none. Too many abortions? Ban them. Or put no restrictions on them. Cop kill

03 - Sick Of It

Jul 4th, 2022 18m 33s

Is the American healthcare system scarier than Bigfoot? What is the cash price for an MRI?Healthcare is tremendously expensive, and America never has figured out a good way to pay for it so that every citizen has access to decent medical care.

02 - I'm Just Not Enough

Jul 4th, 2022 16m 11s

No one is writing laws for me. I'm not rich enough for one party or poor enough for another. I'm not old enough or young enough or sick enough or healthy enough for either major political party to take any interest in my problems.They'll make s

01 - How Does This End?

Jul 4th, 2022 14m 19s

How does this end?It's a strange question for the first episode, but hang in there. My story gets better. The political system of the United States of America in the 21st century is a lot like Thanksgiving Day at my mother's house--dysfunctiona