Allison Tait

Inheriting Inequality | Allison Tait | Substack Everything begins and ends with an inheritance. And capital comes in all forms. Let’s explore how inheritance shapes both identity and inequality. Click to read Inheriting Inequality, by Allison Tait,...

Inheritance is a system in which norms solidify, wealth crystallizes, and power reproduces itself in ways both big and small. By exploring inheritance, we can see how assets and beliefs take uneven shape.

Check out my Substack for weekly posts on Inheriting Inequality!

allisontait.substack.com

The Wealth Line Wealth taxes, billionaire flight, and the political economy of defining surplus

Here's a thought....
We have a poverty line, but not a wealth line.
We think in floors and not ceilings.
What would it look like to have a wealth line and design policy around it? And what would the number be?
Read more in today's post 👇🏻💵
allisontait.substack.com/p/the-wealth...

Whistling at the Edge of Law The whistle is sounding in Minneapolis. The question before the legal profession is whether we will hear it, amplify it, and act accordingly, or instead insist that the ground eroding beneath our feet...

Best read of the day. I so admire this writing.
Whistling at the Edge of Law -- lpeproject.org/blog/whistli...

It was transforming the biggest NFL stage in the world into a sugar cane plantation that did it for me.

Like, the multiple layers of turning an American icon into a plantation and highlighting the history of exploitation of Black and Brown bodies by the NFL and American colonialism simultaneously?

this is from biscuit’s new york times profile, taken after she won the national book award for her first mystery thriller, BREAD GIRL

Arthur: wrote a critically acclaimed biography of the frères Goncourt several years ago and has been delicately exhausted ever since!

“Atiles shows how those in power weaponise colonial legality to legitimate the social, economic & political violence they commit against marginalised communities.”

Vanessa Jiménez-Read reviews Crisis by Design by @joseatiles.bsky.social in our new issue.

buff.ly/pPlI9yG @stanfordpress.bsky.social

Agreed, it is a signpost for so much of what is wrong with this moment and it names the people without naming the people. And underscores the absolute indefensibility of their position. It's a great rhetorical move.

Just a quick update from the Twin Cities. (Please forgive the unsolicited message). THINGS ARE NOT BETTER IN MINNEAPOLIS. The media is mostly moving on, Trump is focused on other stuff, BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED ON THE GROUND. More than 2,000 DHS thugs continue to roam the streets, abducting people 24/7, assaulting legal observers with impunity, and routinely denying 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights. Drones and helicopters are overhead every day. Hundreds and hundreds of terrified families have not left their homes since mid-December ... relying on the community to bring them food and help with rent and other necessities. (Those people are NOT violent drug cartel sex offending murderers, as DHS would tell you. Most are legal residents or citizens.) If anything, things have just become more stressful and intractable (think trench warfare as a suitable metaphor): The resistance is better organized and numerous, but DHS has become more clever and better at disguise... and the county sheriff's office is increasingly supporting them . Do not let anyone tell you that Homans (the new person in charge of the occupation) is making anything better. Do not let anyone tell you that 700 ICE agents leaving the city has made much of a difference; the remaining force (again, ~2,000) is still larger than the entire city's police force (which is legally unable to do anything). Please call your congressional reps ... especially if there is any chance the administration might listen to them.

A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:

I hope everyone is still running on the incredible high of the conference but also totally relaxing today and recharging.

That was an incredible experience and I'm already looking forward to the next time!! 💚💙❤️

Just another day of Richmond Law faculty making magic happen at the @a-lpe.bsky.social inaugural conference in our town. Love my colleagues! @richmondlaw.bsky.social @lukenorris.bsky.social @marisakabas.bsky.social @erincollins.bsky.social

Writing a History of Marital Privilege in an Age of Retrenchment As the government seeks to erase the past injustices and achievements of marginalized groups, it is worth recalling how those gains were made. Parents, partners, students, and lawyers pursued a more…

A wonderful book and important history about the uses and abuses of marriage.

Writing a History of Marital Privilege in an Age of Retrenchment -- lpeproject.org/blog/writing...

Looking forward to this! Spies and state intelligence seen three ways with a great set of papers.

If Senate Republicans refuse to strip out the DHS bill to put real constraints on ICE — and hold hostage the vast majority of government funding — then Republicans are complicit in the chaos and own the potential government shutdown.

It’s time to stop ICE’s violence.

An Open Letter to the Minnesota Law Community Seventy-two University of Minnesota Law faculty address the federal government's ongoing campaign of fear, intimidation, and violence against Minnesotans.

An Open Letter to the Minnesota Law Community -- lpeproject.org/blog/an-open...

Those are definitely all words

Pam Bondi just sent a letter to Minnesota officials saying ICE will leave if the state turns over its voter database to Trump.

Guess what? This has never been about safety or immigration. It’s a pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states.

This is really something. Mark Warner, one of the more moderate and cautious senators in the Dem caucus, says he'll vote No on ICE funding:

Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."

The Time Has Come to Shutter the World Economic Forum Katharina Pistor recounts how the annual Davos gathering has served as a platform for anti-democratic deal-making.

The Time Has Come to Shutter the World Economic Forum by Katharina Pistor @projectsyndicate.bsky.social prosyn.org/OCtRKaA

Offshore Dreaming The never-ending fantasy of deregulation and "discovery"

Offshore Dreaming. A brief look into where we are both in terms of national status and national identity as a tax haven.
Read more 👇🏻 open.substack.com/pub/allisont...

Six lessons from six months on Substack What you like and what I've learned

Prof. @athenais.bsky.social recently celebrated six months on her Substack titled "Everyone Inherits Something." Tait's forthcoming book, The House That Family Money Built, will release later this year. Follow her journey with the other 1k+ followers! allisontait.substack.com/p/six-lesson...

From an email to one of our faculty members....

Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!

Here we go 😒

What about the slayer rule? Rob Reiner's estate, bars to inheriting, and the perpetuation of vulnerability

The slayer rule may seem like common sense. But it bears revisiting and reviewing. And, at the end of the day, the rule may only be useful insofar as it shines a light on family violence and provides a reminder that prevention resources are crucial.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...

Kitchen Inequality What lessons a holiday baking show can teach us about life

Are you watching Next Level Baker?

Imagine my surprise and dismay when I started watching this holiday baking concoction only to discover that it is a dramatic re-enactment of how economic inequality works masquerading as a baking show.

open.substack.com/pub/allisont...

Planning the Perfect Trust Reveal What to make of the new trust reveal trend

Trust Reveal Parties > The whole showcase showdown quality strongly underscores that having family money is a game of chance and inheriting money is like winning a sweepstakes.

Read on for the good, the bad, and the totally obnoxious about trust reveals
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...

LPE 2.0: A New Association to Meet the Times As the Trump administration attempts to suppress critical inquiry and operate outside of conventional legal boundaries, the work of LPE scholars, organizers, and practitioners has never been more…

LPE 2.0: A New Association to Meet the Times -- lpeproject.org/blog/lpe-2-0...

Absolutely huge, you’re right!

Is Everyone Upper Poor? Why $140,000 is the new $32,000

Last week, people were outraged by a post claiming “the real poverty line is $140,000.” Despite the bold claim, many agreed with the underlying idea -the cost of basic self-sufficiency for a family of four is significantly higher than the government thinks it is open.substack.com/pub/allisont...