Aren't you ignoring the current historical context? For example, consider the following: During previous waves of immigration,
There was an entire nation to fill up.
There was no welfare state.
There was no affirmative action.
There was no divisive philosophy of multiculturalism prevailing in the popular culture, in the media, and among the academics and other intellectual elites that influence public opinion.
Pat may be flawed, but so are your counter-arguments to his position.
That is a common response, it is very hard to prove, and possibly only opinion, albeit old and now called reality.
In the past we were talking about 10s of thousands, we are now talking about 10s of millions, a slight difference, and of course the Europeans had to come by boat, and access was easily controlled.
The socialist state of our country is also a very large difference, at least when the Poles came, they knew they had to work, and weren't lined up waiting for others to pay for the birth of their children etc.
As the Italians came here, they weren't known for printing newspapers or starting organizations advocating the overthrow of the system of govt, and demanding that their children be taught in Italian.
How long until the tradition of working the lower paying jobs, becomes a demand for access to the higher paying jobs, without the work and education it requires.
Soon we will have a new group(the recently legalized illegals) demanding preference and affirmative action, and the Republicans will have to pour the gravy, or be buried electorally. Of course politicians being what they are (lower life forms than lawyers) they will give what is asked, taking from the producers at even greater rates, and calling it progress, or better yet compassionate conservatism.