# The Time Tax: How Bureaucracy Steals Your Life

> Journalist Annie Lowrey exposes how broken government systems waste millions of hours, hitting the poor hardest.
- Title: The Time Tax: How Bureaucracy Steals Your Life | Shortify
- Summary: Journalist Annie Lowrey exposes how broken government systems waste millions of hours, hitting the poor hardest. Government bureaucracy deliberately wastes…
- Keywords: annie lowrey, the time tax, government bureaucracy, time waste, ordeal mechanism, cobol, poverty, immigrants, social security, housing vouchers, building permits, david plotz
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/podcasts/gabfestreads/2026/09/annie-lowreys-time-tax?via=rss
- Published: 2026-09-19T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: annie lowrey, the time tax, government bureaucracy, time waste, ordeal mechanism, cobol, poverty, immigrants, social security, housing vouchers, building permits, david plotz
## The hidden tax on your time
Americans lose countless hours to broken government systems, from 12-hour tax filings to multiyear waits for housing vouchers and building permits.
## Deliberate friction by design
Lowrey identifies the 'ordeal mechanism': intentional bureaucratic friction built into programs to discourage applicants deemed 'undeserving.'
## Outdated technology compounds waste
State unemployment systems still run on COBOL code from decades ago, creating delays and errors that cost citizens time and money.
## The poor pay the most
Low-income people and immigrants bear the heaviest burden from time-consuming bureaucratic processes they can least afford to navigate.
## Social Security shows the way
Social Security remains one of the few government programs that treats recipients with dignity, offering a model for how bureaucracy could work.
## Reform requires real change
Lowrey argues that efficiency initiatives like DOGE fail to address the root problem: systems designed to waste time and discourage people from accessing benefits.
## Key takeaway

Government bureaucracy deliberately wastes time through outdated technology and intentional friction, disproportionately burdening low-income people and immigrants.