[Aetius]

Both welfare and mass legal and illegal immigration are problems.

You seem sympathetic to the view of many libertarians like at Cato, that is akin to 'unending mass immigration-yes, welfare-no.'

That is simply unrealistic. If you import people who have a good chance of using some form of welfare, you are increasing the customer base for welfare. In doing so you are increasing the political power of those who support welfare.

In other words, mass immigration makes is that much harder to get rid of welfare because you have increased the political clout of those using it.

Same logic applies to affirmative action (i.e. racial preferences)and immigration. Most immigrants are non-white, and thus eligible for racial preferences where they exist. To expect people to look a gift horse in the mouth is unlikely. And the whole Sandra Day O'Connor idea that in 20 yrs or so we will no longer need racial preferences to achieve wonderful 'diversity' is absurd.

[hchutch]

I prefer the Wall Street Journal's positions on most issues of the day. But that aside, I'm going to be a little blunt:

The message you seem to be sending to immigrants in general (and non-white immigrants in particular) from past posts on this issue is, "We don't want you here." I don't have any recent immgirants in my family, and *I* do NOT like that sort of message being sent to immigrants. How do you think they feel about such a message I'd be insulted - and nobody will vote for a political candidate who insults them or people they know in the manner some of your past posts have.

Furthermore, the Wall Street Journal's position is doubly attractive when I look at some of the comments coming from restrictionists like Sam Francis or which are posted at sites like VDARE. Quite frankly, I can understand why VDARE is not allowed on Free Republic. I think you grossly underestimate those who choose to come to the United States, and your low expectations of them are counterproductive, both in solving the problems we currently face and in reaching out to them and gaining their support.