This is in response to Elliott Epstein’s column of Nov. 20.

Although I thought Epstein’s column touched on many things that were true and accurate, I don’t believe his view of Robert Macdonald’s stand on Maine’s welfare issues is accurate.

Macdonald is not a career politician and therefore everything he says may not be politically correct as society of today seems to demand. I do believe that Macdonald is a fair and honest man that, yes, has the “courage” to talk about critical and very sensitive issues.

It is true that the mayor of Lewiston cannot do anything about immigrants who decide to reside here or anywhere in the U.S., and that’s a good thing. The issue is why do they decide to live here in Maine? Why do they choose to move from other states to come to Maine? Those are questions that need to be addressed.

We are all immigrants (except Native Americans) and are proud of our heritage, or at least we should be. Who knows why people decide to go wherever they go; there are many reasons. What I do know is there was no welfare system in Maine when my ancestors, or Epstein’s father, “stepped off the boat at Ellis Island.”

Lawrence Small, Lewiston