“Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where their tax money goes. Among other things, it pays for all kinds of invisible but essential safety nets and life belts and guardrails that are useless right up until the day they are priceless.”

Nancy Gibbs is an American journalist and editor. She spent nearly three decades at *Time* magazine, rising to become its editor-in-chief from 2014 to 2020. Known for her sharp, insightful leadership and long-form journalism, she shaped the magazine’s focus on in-depth storytelling and cultural analysis.