Stupid State Stories

Welcome to Stupid State Stories , a podcast that dives into the absurd, illiberal, and downright oppressive ways governments mess with their own people. From bizarre laws and overreaching bureaucracies to outright abuses of power, each episode unpacks real stories and obvious hallucinations of state overreach—think petty tyrants, ridiculous regulations, and the occasional dystopian nightmare. With sharp wit, manufactured statistics, and a keen eye for the ridiculous, we explore how the state’s heavy hand shapes lives, often with unintended consequences. Tune in for a mix of outrage, disbelief, and dark humor as we expose the dumbest things done in the name of control.

Stupid State Stories is a government podcast hosted by Gelica, with 22 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Gelica hosts Stupid State Stories, a government show with 22 episodes published.

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  Episode #22

  Vain Voting Voodoo

  Oct 3, 20266 min

  Democracy's got a math problem. In 1951 Kenneth Arrow proved that with three or more candidates, no ranked voting system can satisfy four reasonable fairness conditions at once, and picked up a Nobel for it in 1972. Play with the math yourself: https://ncase.me/ballot Sources: - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arrows-theorem - https://arxiv.org/html/2303.00108v2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Burlington,_Vermont_mayoral_election - https://ballotpedia.org/Alaska_Ballot_Measure_2,_Repeal_Top-Four_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2026)

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  Stupid State Stories

  Utopia's Unarmed Unmaking

  Sep 16, 20265 min

  The deadliest killer of the twentieth century wasn't war, and it wasn't crime. It was government. R.J. Rummel's democide tally counts 262 million people murdered by their own states, six times the century's combat deaths, and nearly every regime that ran up that number took the guns first. From the Weimar Republic's gun registry to Cambodia's killing fields, from Chavez's gun ban to Bondi Beach, the recipe never changes: register, reassure, restrict. The state keeps its rifles. You get a brick. Sources: https://hawaii.edu/powerkills/NOTE1.HTM https://reason.com/2014/05/15/be-antigovernment-and-proud https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-bondi-attack-the-islamic-states-strategic-shifts-and-jihadi-tactics-in-australia https://bbc.com/news/articles/cqxql12317qo

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  Episode #20

  Tyrannical Trillionaire Tax

  Jul 1, 20264 min

  Elon Musk just became the first trillionaire then settled back to ~$947B. Schrödinger's billionaire. Washington finally has the boogeyman it needs. The mathing on why Warren and Sanders' wealth-tax proposals don't work, and why they sell votes anyway. The printer never stops going "brrrrr." Sources: forbes.com/profile/elon-musk en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-Millionaire_Tax_Act_of_2021 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_tax · usdebtclock.org

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  Episode #19

  Spiteful Swamp Splurge

  May 26, 20264 minS0

  <p>Thomas Massie (R-KY), 8-term congressman, lost his primary on May 19, 2026 to Trump-backed sock puppet Ed Gallrein.</p><p></p><p>The most expensive House primary in US history</p><p></p><p>$32M+ in ad spending</p><p></p><p>BBB Adds ~$3T to national debt over a decade </p><p></p><p>Only Congress makes war H.Con.Res.38 </p><p></p><p>Pentagon conceded no evidence of imminent Iranian strike</p><p></p><p>Massie pushed for release of files which may implicate the elite.</p><p></p><p>Hasn't ruled out 2028 presidential run</p>

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  Episode #18

  Raging Raid Ruin

  Apr 11, 20263 minS0

  <p>Chuck and Megan try to untangle Schrödinger's ceasefire, a confusing Middle East agreement that is somehow simultaneously happening and not happening. We also examine Lindsey Graham's unique interpretation of war powers, where he essentially treats the Constitution's mandate for congressional approval like a decorative throw pillow. Meanwhile, normal shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted as Iran sets up a lethal new toll booth system backed by threats of absolute destruction. Back at home, we break down the math-defying absurdity of Donald Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget as the national deficit continues to balloon out of c...

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