Annie Lowrey, a journalist from The Atlantic, recently discussed her new book, The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time—and How to Fix It, with David Plotz. The book explores the significant amount of time Americans lose due to inefficiencies in government bureaucracy. Lowrey highlights examples such as the 12 hours it can take to complete tax filings, multiyear waits for housing vouchers, and long delays in obtaining building permits. These inefficiencies, she argues, result in a cumulative "time tax" that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable members of society. Lowrey introduces the concept of the "ordeal mechanism," a term she uses to describe how some government programs intentionally create friction or obstacles. She suggests that these barriers are designed to weed out individuals deemed "undeserving" of assistance, often based on subjective or biased criteria. This mechanism, combined with outdated technology, such as the COBOL programming language still used in many state unemployment systems, contributes to the slow and cumbersome nature of public services. The burden of these bureaucratic inefficiencies falls most heavily on low-income individuals and immigrants, who often lack the resources or legal status to navigate complex systems. Lowrey and Plotz discuss how these groups face additional hurdles when trying to access essential services, leading to further marginalization. In contrast, they note that Social Security is one of the few government programs that treats recipients with dignity, offering a streamlined and respectful process that stands out in an otherwise frustrating landscape. Despite the widespread inefficiencies and the clear negative impact on citizens, Lowrey points out that the Trump administration’s "Dogs of War" (DOGE) initiative did little to address these issues. The book critiques the lack of meaningful reform and calls for a reimagining of how government services are structured and delivered. Lowrey's work serves as both a critique and a call to action, urging policymakers to rethink the way time is valued in public administration.