#1829 Poverty Is Hard on Purpose in America and We All Pay the Time Tax

Air Date: 10/17/2026 Today we look at how being poor in America is made harder on purpose. The hours of paperwork it takes to keep food assistance or Medicaid are there to shrink the programs quietly by attrition and make failure feel like a personal problem. The same design runs through a healthcare system that profits when care is denied and the patient doesn't have the time to fight back. The alternative is the kind of program you'd design if you thought everyone living in a wealthy society was worthy of a dignified life. Full Show Notes Transcript Leave a Voice Message BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Support and Get No Ads!) Link in Bio - Everything in one place! (Support, contact, socials, books + merch) TOP TAKES KP 1: The Time Cost of Bureaucracy Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-28-26 KP 2: The Vague, Capital-Serving Co-Optation of Affordability Politics Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 6-17-26 KP 3: No One Can Escape The Time Tax Part 1 - What A Day - Air Date 9-3-26 KP 4: The $29 Trillion Social Security Crisis We Already Know How to Fix ( with Rey Fuentes) Part 1 - Pitchfork Economics - Air Date 9-8-26 KP 5: The Time Cost of Bureaucracy Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-28-26 KP 6: Merchants of Death The Men Who Killed Healthcare in America. Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 9-4-26 (00:52:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the Launch of Our Social Media System My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (00:58:24) SECTION A: SOCIAL INSURANCE AND WORKER PROTECTIONS A1: The New Deal - Everything Everywhere Daily - Air Date 10-9-26 A2: Terri Gerstein on Gig Workers Rights Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-9-26 A3: The $29 Trillion Social Security Crisis We Already Know How to Fix ( with Rey Fuentes) Part 2 - Pitchfork Economics - Air Date 9-8-26 A4: Terri Gerstein on Gig Workers Rights Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-9-26 (01:32:26) SECTION B: THE TIME TAX AND BURDEN BY DESIGN B1: How the Government Wastes Our Time Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-31-26 B2: No One Can Escape The Time Tax Part 2 - What A Day - Air Date 9-3-26 B3: How the Government Wastes Our Time Part 2 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-31-26 (01:57:46) SECTION C: HEALTH CARE UNDER ATTACK C1: The Cost of Drugs From Canada Is Set to Soar for Millions of Americans - CBS Pittsburgh - Air Date 10-8-26 C2: Merchants of Death The Men Who Killed Healthcare in America. Part 2 - UNFTR - Air Date 9-4-26 C3: Hidden Cuts to Health Care - Letters From An American - Air Date 8-20-26 (02:23:21) SECTION D: AFFORDABILITY POLITICS AND THE RISING LEFT D1: Raina Lipsitz on DSA Politics Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 9-25-26 D2: The Vague, Capital-Serving Co-Optation of Affordability Politics Part 2 - Citations Needed - Air Date 6-17-26 D3: Raina Lipsitz on DSA Politics Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 9-25-26 D4: El-Sayed Affordability Crisis Is Destroying Dreams - The Moment - Air Date 8-28-26 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]