Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Americans don’t trust the government anymore. Annie Lowrey, @TheAtlantic staff writer and author of the new book The Time Tax, joins Offline to identify the culprit: a plodding, vindictive, racist bureaucracy that people must navigate to get government services and benefits. The paperwork, lines and emotional strain—just to feed your kids or renew your driver’s license––adds up to a “time tax” that falls most heavily on low-income Americans. Annie and Jon take stock of the Kafka-esque system and discuss why, if Democrats don’t do something to change it, people will continue to tune out the party that wants to build something better.
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SUNDAYS FOR DOGS: sundaysfordogs.com/OFFLINE Code: OFFLINE
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QUINCE: quince.com/offline
00:00 - Intro
02:40 - What is the “Time Tax” and how it effects low-income people the most
11:42 - How the time tax impacts people’s views of government
14:03 - Ad break
16:38 - Should work requirements be enforced for government programs?
22:01 - How to fight against government program fraud without hurting program recipients
26:11 - Healthcare.gov and government efficiency
30:10 - Ad break
33:00 - Has DOGE ruined government efficiency
35:55 - How Estonia makes government efficient
40:00 - Could AI help in simplifying government
41:34 - How should a 2028 candiate run on governement efficiency?
Head to CrookedCon.com for tickets, lineup announcements, and more! crookedcon.com
For a transcript of an episode of Offline, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
Is the internet slowly breaking our brains, and if so, what can we do about it? Offline with Jon Favreau is a place where you can take a break from doom-scrolling and tune in to smarter, lighter conversations about the impact of technology & the internet on our collective culture. Intimate interviews between Pod Save America host Jon Favreau and notable guests like Stephen Colbert, Hasan Piker, ContraPoints, Margaret Atwood, and Megan Rapinoe spark curiosity and introspection around the various ways our extremely online existence shapes everything from the ways we live, work, and interact with one another. Together we’ll figure out how to live happier, healthier lives, both on and offline.
Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive
Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.
That’s it. End of mission.
Learn more about us at crooked.com
Americans don’t trust the government anymore. Annie Lowrey, @TheAtlantic staff writer and author of the new book The Time Tax, joins Offline to identify the culprit: a plodding, vindictive, racist bureaucracy that people must navigate to get government services and benefits. The paperwork, lines and emotional strain—just to feed your kids or renew your driver’s license––adds up to a “time tax” that falls most heavily on low-income Americans. Annie and Jon take stock of the Kafka-esque system and discuss why, if Democrats don’t do something to change it, people will continue to tune out the party that wants to build something better.
CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS
SUNDAYS FOR DOGS: sundaysfordogs.com/OFFLINE Code: OFFLINE
MINT MOBILE: mintmobile.com/offline
ZBIOTICS: zbiotics.com/OFFLINE CODE: OFFLINE
QUINCE: quince.com/offline
00:00 - Intro
02:40 - What is the “Time Tax” and how it effects low-income people the most
11:42 - How the time tax impacts people’s views of government
14:03 - Ad break
16:38 - Should work requirements be enforced for government programs?
22:01 - How to fight against government program fraud without hurting program recipients
26:11 - Healthcare.gov and government efficiency
30:10 - Ad break
33:00 - Has DOGE ruined government efficiency
35:55 - How Estonia makes government efficient
40:00 - Could AI help in simplifying government
41:34 - How should a 2028 candiate run on governement efficiency?
Head to CrookedCon.com for tickets, lineup announcements, and more! crookedcon.com
For a transcript of an episode of Offline, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
Is the internet slowly breaking our brains, and if so, what can we do about it? Offline with Jon Favreau is a place where you can take a break from doom-scrolling and tune in to smarter, lighter conversations about the impact of technology & the internet on our collective culture. Intimate interviews between Pod Save America host Jon Favreau and notable guests like Stephen Colbert, Hasan Piker, ContraPoints, Margaret Atwood, and Megan Rapinoe spark curiosity and introspection around the various ways our extremely online existence shapes everything from the ways we live, work, and interact with one another. Together we’ll figure out how to live happier, healthier lives, both on and offline.
Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive
Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.
That’s it. End of mission.
Learn more about us at crooked.com
