Gratuitously self-serving repeat post

Hey, you take your hits where you can get 'em.

In my own defense, I've found that, of all the topics I've posted on, immigration draws the most spirited (and heated) discussion. Like so many other issues of importance (Iraq, anyone?), this one has dropped almost out of sight, obscured by political grandstanding and Rovian sleight-of-hand. But that's what political power is all about to today's GOP, isn't it?

Study Finds Immigrants Don't Hurt U.S. Jobs

High levels of immigration in the past 15 years do not appear to have hurt employment opportunities for American workers, according to a new report.

The Pew Hispanic Center analyzed immigration state by state using U.S. Census data, evaluating it against unemployment levels. No clear correlation between the two could be found.

Other factors, such as economic growth, have likely played a larger role in influencing the American job market, said Rakesh Kochhar, principal author of the report and an economist at the Pew Hispanic Center in the District.

"We are simply looking for a pattern across 50 states, and we did not find one," Kochhar said. "We cannot say with certainty that growth in the foreign population has hurt or helped American jobs."

Technorati Tags: immigration, immigrants, illegal, legal, jobs, Tancredo, Sensenbrenner, xenophobe, bigot