Show Notes
Long DMV lines, endless tax forms, and paperwork-heavy safety-net programs aren’t just annoyances—they’re “time taxes,” the administrative burdens that waste people’s time and can keep eligible families from getting help.
On this episode of “Radio Atlantic,” Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey tells host Adam Harris that these burdens are often harsher for people with less social status and have long been used as tools of social control, such as Jim Crow voting rules and restrictive SNAP and TANF requirements designed to police behavior and deter use.
In her new book, “The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time—And How to Fix It,” Lowrey says reforms are possible but require political will, clearer accountability, and a focus on making government services simpler and more user-friendly.
---
Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Radio Atlantic
Hanna Rosin interviews the comedian Maria Bamford, the subject of the new documentary “Paralyzed by Hope,” directed by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley. Bamford explains the relationship between her OCD and her comedy. She talks about why she doesn’t do political comedy, and why she no longer does imitations of her sister. She discusses her divorce and getting on the apps. She does all of that from a car, buzzed on nitro cold brew
President Trump is striking deals again—this time with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. On Friday, he exempted Russia from a sanctions bill that Congress had passed and he had signed. The executive order followed a deal on importing diesel fuel from Russia the week before. Why is Trump seeming to turn on Ukraine at this moment? Is this a midterm strategy, or is something else going on? Atlantic staff writers Jonathan Lemire and Simon Shuster join “Radio Atlantic” host Adam Harris to discuss.
Politics has seemed obsessed recently with performing masculinity. If there’s one factor that animated Donald Trump’s reelection and continues to animate the political right in general, it’s “masculinism,” a movement to fight back against the advances of feminism and reassert the primacy of men, as the Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis wrote in her June cover story.
Who really controls America’s next era in space: NASA or two billionaire rivals? It might be some combination of the three. On this episode of Radio Atlantic, Adam Harris talks with Atlantic staff writer Josh Tyrangiel about SpaceX’s dominance in satellite launches, Blue Origin’s struggle to catch up, and why the moon is now the key battleground for Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
The Atlantic staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick discusses her recent story, “Is There Anything Kash Patel Won’t Do for Trump Before the Midterms?” She explains what agents and other sources are telling her about how the mission of the FBI has changed, how resources have been diverted to exploration of long-debunked election-conspiracy theories, and what most worries them about this moment. The FBI has responded to Fitzpatrick’s reporting by calling it “false” and stating that the FBI is “united.”