'Illegal immigration' does not hurt anyone; the numbers are small and a threat only in the minds of bigots, or ranters like Lew Dobbs. Without them fruit and perishable vegetables would go unpicked and washrooms would not get cleaned- the 'blue collar' so-called will not take these jobs. Because the immigrants often work together, they not only subsist on low wages but are able to send a little back 'home.' They are a worldwide phenomenon, the impact is much greater in western Europe than in the United States.

Affirmative action had good intentions, but it put one group of disadvantaged above another- both groups need the chance at education and jobs. The United States and Canada are falling behind in educating the population for the workplace.
China is expected to have more 'middle class' people than the United States in the next census, and India is not far behind. (Of course, large numbers are still mired in third-world conditions, but in the cities the demand for education and the quality of the schools is amazing).