Immigration advocates take great pride in their self-depiction as open-minded, tolerant, non-racist people. As they are ever so inclined to remind us, they are rich in compassion and kindness, and far above any kind of vulgar prejudice.

And quite commonly they are just plain rich as well. Poll after poll show that higher income people tend to support immigration far more than working class and middle-class Americans. One reason is that mass immigration is making them even richer. As the landmark1997 National Research Council and subsequent research have revealed, immigration is a Robin Hood in reverse policy. It takes from the poor by driving down wages and gives to the better-to-do with profits and other benefits.

To justify immigration, the well-offs tell us — through their spokesmen the pundits and professors — that everyone benefits as our society is enriched by diversity and multiculturalism. Strangely, however, they rarely seem inclined to taste these "benefits" themselves. Far be it from them to live in diverse neighborhoods and have to compete with immigrants for jobs. That, they suggest, is for Americans who are, well, not quite so refined as they.

The situation recalls World War I when British generals far behind the front ordered Australian troops into battle. A saying arose in Australia, "Britain will fight to the last Australian." Now U.S. elites, fortified in their gated-community bunkers, are fighting for diversity — to the last blue collar American. As some people said during our War Between the States, "It's a rich man's war and a poor man's fight."

Nevertheless, our betters cling to their moral grandeur by affirming that they are not racists. And letting in the entire world is how they wish to prove it. Be that as it may, they seem to have little concern on how this is impacting our minority citizens. Perhaps the reason is that they are seldom around many of these citizens. They preach tolerance, but prefer to practice it from a distance. The closest many come to racial integration is hiring illegal alien nannies and yardmen, so as not be bothered with chores so demeaning as rearing their own children and cutting their own lawns.

Whether or not they are racially tolerant, they certainly have few scruples against despising people on basis of class. Read their publications and websites dealing with immigration. Like the advocates of racial intolerance, they employ insulting words and stereotypes to demean and discredit their presumed inferiors. That way, they don't have to take "those people" seriously.

Consider words "ignorant" and "know nothing," epithets often flung at immigration restrictionists. The suggestion by the flingers is that they are far smarter and more educated than their targets. Certainly they're entitled to their opinions. But who is really more ignorant, the products of our politically correct diploma mills, or the graduates from schools of real-life experience and common sense?

Often our elites call up the stereotypical spirit of Archie Bunker to depict blue collar citizens. Archie, as we have seen on endless TV re-runs, is a caricature quite comical in his stupidity and prejudice. Why should we care if Archie loses his job to some saintly illegal alien? Archie deserves it. Then there's that fine old pejorative "redneck," to demean less-than-affluent Southerners. The South is always the convenient whipping boy for superior types who wish to display their broad-minded tolerance.

"Bigot" is another term of choice for the presumed lower orders. Ironically the dictionary definition of the word is one "who holds blindly and intolerantly to [an] . . . opinion." And what better describes the inflexible political correctness of the accusers? If they want to perceive bigots, they would do well to look in mirrors.

In times past, the elite classes in America displayed a degree of loyalty, a noblesse oblige, to their fellow citizens of other classes. Today, more and more, they imitate the oligarchies of Third World countries in lofty disdain toward the masses. This may explain why they want to import foreign masses more accustomed to such leadership.

Ordinary Americans now have a choice. Accept elitist contempt, and the second class citizenship that goes with it, or stand up as a people with dignity and self-respect. America began as a nation in rebellion against royalist elites who scorned mere colonials. Unfortunately, King George lives again, but now he lives, not in London, but in places like Washington D.C., New York City and Hollywood. Will patriots live again? We'll see.