It distresses me that issues of social welfare are not figuring strongly in the debate we are seeing over the border in the United States election race. We hear more about race and women as they are important voting sectors but the votes of the poor must be unimportant or not a factor of strategy.  The welfare issue is being discussed by way of the candidates economic and immigration platform but only as a side issue. America has 46.7 million people living in poverty, but there's been little talk on the presidential campaign trail about the needs of these ones – about how the nation will carry the marginalised.  Actually the middle class and the wealthy have been centre stage.

Surely any discussion on migration, health care, woman’s issues and education should hinge on the effect that these decisions will have on those with the least level of power to rectify their own situation. We can talk trickle-down economics, economic rationalism, fiddling with tax rates and increasing benefits but without a plan that pivots around a governments service to the poor all get rail-roaded by those who have power. Nations talk about changes to minimum wage and a universal basic income but, again, without a fundamental social justice philosophy that places those without a voice in the front window it is obvious that hope for the elimination of poverty will diminish. You can call me naïve and not seeing the big picture – more jobs will create more opportunities – blah blah blah – but some need consistent help – they need to be carried for a while or maybe forever