This is why I ultimately care about politics and social work: socioeconomic justice. I want a strong economy, of course, because a strong economy is good for all of us–but what I really want to see is a society which is truly blind to class.

I’m not saying classism is rampant or even necessarily the cause of most of the problems the poor experience, though it is part of it. No, I want to see a society where the poor are not kept poor, where they are given the same opportunities and education as the wealthy. Where a poor student doesn’t have to work his way through high school while the wealthy student has nothing but leisure time. Where the poor don’t feel that college is impossible for them without an utterly insurmountable debt–where college debt isn’t insurmountable for anyone, but is affordable. Where students are taught about grants and scholarships and other programs that many are simply not made aware of.

I want to give those less privileged the tools they need to rise above where they are–not just the homeless, but the poor, those who have enough to get by but only just, who can’t provide their children with the educational opportunities they so richly deserve. Not just by providing them work or job security, but giving them the tools and the path to move on to something better.

America calls itself the land of opportunity, and I care about politics because I believe we can be that. Maybe we really can shelter the poor, the sick, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.