… And, not surprisingly, most of the increase is illegal.

The Center for Immigration Studies has published the results of its 2007 study on “Immigrants in the United States.”

A Profile of America’s Foreign-Born Population
This Backgrounder provides a detailed picture of the number and socio-economic status of the nation’s immigrant or foreign-born population, both legal and illegal. The data was collected by the Census Bureau in March 2007.

Among the report’s findings:

• The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.

• Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13.

• Overall, nearly one in three immigrants is an illegal alien. Half of Mexican and Central American immigrants and one-third of South American immigrants are illegal.

• Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived — the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens.

• The largest increases in immigrants were in California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

• Of adult immigrants, 31 percent have not completed high school, compared to 8 percent of natives. Since 2000, immigration increased the number of workers without a high school diploma by 14 percent, and all other workers by 3 percent.

• The share of immigrants and natives who are college graduates is about the same. Immigrants were once much more likely than natives to be college graduates.

• The proportion of immigrant-headed households using at least one major welfare program is 33 percent, compared to 19 percent for native households.

• The poverty rate for immigrants and their U.S.-born children (under 18) is 17 percent, nearly 50 percent higher than the rate for natives and their children.

• 34 percent of immigrants lack health insurance, compared to 13 percent of natives. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children account for 71 percent of the increase in the uninsured since 1989.

• Immigrants make significant progress over time. But even those who have been here for 20 years are more likely to be in poverty, lack insurance, or use welfare than are natives.

• The primary reason for the high rates of immigrant poverty, lack of health insurance, and welfare use is their low education levels, not their legal status or an unwillingness to work.

• Of immigrant households, 82 percent have at least one worker compared to 73 percent of native households.

• There is a worker present in 78 percent of immigrant households using at least one welfare program.

• Immigration accounts for virtually all of the national increase in public school enrollment over the last two decades. In 2007, there were 10.8 million school-age children from immigrant families in the United States.

• Immigrants and natives have similar rates of entrepreneurship — 13 percent of natives and 11 percent of immigrants are self-employed.

• Recent immigration has had no significant impact on the nation’s age structure. Without the 10.3 million post-2000 immigrants, the average age in America would be virtually unchanged at 36.5 years.

Selected News Coverage

These workers just installed steel pillars in concrete to stop vehicles from parking on the pavement outside a sports bar.

Hannah Montana essay winner a fake

GARLAND, Texas — An essay that won a 6-year-old girl four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert began with the powerful line: “My daddy died this year in Iraq.”

While gripping, it wasn’t true — and now the girl may lose her tickets after her mom acknowledged to contest organizers it was all a lie.

The sponsor of the contest was Club Libby Lu, a Chicago-based store that sells clothes, accessories and games intended for young girls.

[...]

The mother had told company officials that the girl’s father died April 17 in a roadside bombing in Iraq, company spokeswoman Robyn Caulfield said.

“We did the essay and that’s what we did to win,” Priscilla Ceballos, the mother, said in an interview with Dallas TV station KDFW. “We did whatever we could do to win.”

[...]

Washington, DC — Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2007 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.”

The list, in alphabetical order:

Hillary Rodham Clinton
John Conyers
Larry Craig
Diane Feinstein
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby
Barack Obama
Nancy Pelosi
Harry Reid

Judical Watch’s site has explanations for the misdeeds.

Pakistan’s Bhutto killed in gun, bomb attack

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in the city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, her party said.

“She has been martyred,” said party official Rehman Malik.

Bhutto, 54, died in hospital in Rawalpindi. Ary-One Television said she had been shot in the head.

Police said a suicide bomber fired shots at Bhutto as she was leaving the rally venue in a park before blowing himself up.

“The man first fired at Bhutto’s vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up,” said police officer Mohammad Shahid.

Police said 16 people had been killed in the blast.

[...]

Women accused of sexual assaults on UNC athletes — HILLSBOROUGH [NC]

Chapel Hill police have charged two women with sexually assaulting three UNC-Chapel Hill football players, according to police and arrest warrants. A man also was charged with trying to rob the players during the weekend incident.

The players didn’t suffer physical injuries, but police found two of them wearing boxer shorts and bound with tape. Police said the men told them they had been fondled against their will early Sunday morning. The News & Observer typically does not identify complainants in sexual assault cases.

The arrested are Tnika Monta Washington, 29, of Durham, Monique Jenice Taylor, 28, of Greenville and Michael Troy Lewis, 32, of Durham.

Bail for all three was set initially at $500,000, but Washington’s and Taylor’s bails were reduced Thursday to $50,000. Lewis’ remained at $500,000.

[...]

More on Mike Huckabee’s duplicity:

LIBERALS SING ‘HUCKELUJAH’ — Huckabee opposes school choice, earning him the coveted endorsement of the National Education Association of New Hampshire, which is like the sheriff being endorsed by the local whorehouse.

He is, however, in favor of school choice for kids in Mexico: They have the choice of going to school there or here. Huckabee promoted giving in-state tuition in Arkansas to illegal immigrants from Mexico — but not to U.S. citizens from Ohio. “I don’t believe you punish the children,” he said, “for the crime and sins of the parents.”

[...]

Just two years ago, Huckabee cheerfully announced to a meeting of the Hispanic advocacy group League of United Latin American Citizens that “Pretty soon, Southern white guys like me may be in the minority.” Who’s writing this guy’s speeches — Al Sharpton? …

[...]

He supports a nationwide smoking ban anyplace where people work, constitutional protection for sodomy, big government, higher taxes and government benefits for illegal aliens. According to my calculations, that puts him about three earmarks away from being Nancy Pelosi.

You gotta read the whole thing, including Ann’s aggravation at the Huckster’s hypocrisy on illegal immigration.

RELATED — The Seattle Times:
Huckabee Adopts New Tone on Immigration

A class act!

And for the children.

If you have any children in the house please do not deprive them of this wonderful video of White Christmas

Today offers a remarkable heavenly event: a planetary configuration of Mars, Earth, Sun, Mercury and Jupiter of our solar system in relation to the Galactic Center of the Milky Way. There’s a graphical simulation by JPL-NASA as well as an illustration at Wikipedia.

One could fully appreciate this rare conjunction from a good seat in Andromeda, Cassiopeia or Pegasus, but if you’re too busy for the trip you’ll have to use your mind’s eye by reading the description of the wondrous event in the Wikipedia entry.

However, your physical senses may still be rewarded. The conjunction becomes even more remarkable in that it will be accompanied by the Full Moon (conjunct Mars) at about 2 a.m. on December 24 when a simultaneous Venus square Neptune occurs. And adding to the splendor of the moment the Pluto / Sun conjunction appears exactly on the Winter Solstice, just past conjunction with the Galactic Center. — Enjoy!

• More enlightment: it should be remembered that today is also the day in 1783 that George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army after winning a pretty important war. It is noted that he achieved victory by staying the course and not by retreating to Okinawa.

• In 1823 the poem, A Visit From St. Nicholas (AKA The Night Before Christmas), was published in the NY Sentinel.

• In 1888 Vincent van Gogh cut off the lower part of his left ear, took it to a brothel and gave it to a prostitute named Rachel. My plans for the next few days are more benign.

To extend my enjoyment of the season I will refrain from blogging for a few days unless, of course, something comes to mind that I can’t resist.

Last but not least: Christmas with a capital “C”

Merry Happy!

[Some of the above was copied verbatim from Wikipedia and other sources. Some of it is original.]