I am beyond frustrated right now with politicians. No one takes responsibility for anything, all they do is blame the "other side of the aisle" and then thank each other for "hard work."

I wonder what impact this will have on the 2008 elections, the Republicans already lost much of the Hispanic vote in the 2006 election cycle and I think that this will continue even more next year with actions like tonight.

Cloture failed this evening by a vote of 45 - 50. Republicans claim they need more roll call votes. Let it be noted, Republicans were given more chances than Democrats to introduce Amendments today and they objected every time. They objected to their own amendments!

I am so disappointed with politicians, and especially Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican Minority Leader. I've always liked Senator McConnell, in large part because he's usually had a very rational approach to immigration.

I was also so irritated with the Republicans who claimed that this was not done properly because it wasn't done through committee, etc. That did happen last year and it didn't work. So, this year, a different approach and still nothing. I think that Senators, and their business backers, don't want to do anything because Employers are afraid to get fined and don't want to pay workers fair wages.

Senator Specter just assured all the people watching C-SPAN 2 that this does not mean the Bill is dead, but just on "life support" and that it will come back. I'll be honest, I don't think anything is going to pass. There are too many passionate feelings on each and every issue.

*sigh* I suppose 12 million people are going to continue having de facto amnesty. Doing nothing is the worst thing for people who want to bring undocumented people out of the shadows and also for the folks that want to discourage continued unlawful entry into the United States.

Wow, now it's onto "morning business." I wish I could remember more about parliamentary procedure. Oh, looks like things are wrapping up and going to adjourn until 10:00 AM. More debate and votes on Amendments tomorrow and then the cloture vote (which will end debate).

Senate stands adjourned.

I can't go to bed because the Senate is too exciting. I think Senators should debate after midnight; they're all getting so excited. Senator Sessions (R-Alabama) is very animated. Earlier, Senator Kennedy was almost shouting and definitely looked like he had been working for 18 hours straight.

Sessions still seems rather upset about the compromise and his perception that no real Amendments are being allowed.

I like it when legislators are lively and not so proper. Sometimes I watch Parliament on C-SPAN and it is fun to watch the British boo and cheer when people speak.

It is after midnight, and the Senate is still working! I am impressed. Currently, the Senate is voting on the Dorgan Amendment.

AILA's summary for today's debate on reform is helpful.

Majority Leader Reid filed for cloture yesterday and hopes for a final vote on the bill on Friday.

Breaking news! They just announced that the Dorgan Amendment passed 49-48. The Dorgan Amendment sunsets the Y (guest worker) provision after five years.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Senate debate as closely as I did before the Memorial Day break, but AILA provides a good summary of today's debate and amendments.

I continue to encourage those passionate about this issue to contact their Senators.

A friend sent me a link to a clip of the O'Reilly Factor where he talks to Senator McCain about immigration. You can watch most of the interview here. The longer version does provide more context, but not helpful to my opinion of Bill O'Reilly. Essentially, Bill O'Reilly says that "the Left" wants immigration reform to pass because it will build their political base and then were will be only one party here because the influx of immigrants will "sink the Republican party.". He goes on to say that it would "pardon the pun, change the whole complexion of America." Maybe that wouldn't have offended me very badly, his not so funny pun, but then he goes on to accuse the New York Times and the left of wanting to break down the "white, Christian, male power structure" of which both he and Senator McCain are a part.

Wow.

Darn, my secret plans have been revealed. Oh, that astute Mr. O'Reilly. Yes, people (including employers) want immigrants here to break down the current power structure in this country. How could Senator McCain even respond to that? It is such a ludicrous statement.

Lou Dobbs has been called out for misrepresenting the number of leprosy cases in the United States. On one of his shows, Lou Dobbs apparently attributed a rise of about 400 to 7000 in leprosy cases to immigrants. There have been 7000 cases of leprosy in the United States - over the last 30 years, not 3. The peak was in 1983 and cases have been declining ever since.

I'm glad Lou Dobbs is being called out on his untruths. He puts most of the blame for the bad position of the middle class in America on immigrants. What about our tax policy? Our tax policy right now lets the rich stay rich through generations and doesn't assist the working poor. The earned income tax credit program should be increased to assist more people. Accessible preventative healthcare for the poor would cut down on long term health costs and keep our workforce healthly. Daycare for the working poor would let single parents, especially women, pursue a career knowing that the kids are safe. There are many barriers to why the working poor and middle class in the US are not experiencing the upward mobility of previous generations and I don't think immigration is the largest of those obstacles.

A few years ago, I had to stop watching CNN in the evenings because of Lou Dobbs. His frequent vitriolic diatribes against immigration were more than I could handle. In the New York Times today, there was an article that clearly shows that Lou Dobbs greatly overstated the number of immigrants that are imprisoned in the US. In fact, immigrant populations tend to be less prone to crime than the native population.

Today, USCIS released its new Fee Schedule with huge increase in its filing fees.

These new fees along with the prospective fines in any Reform Bill are going to make immigration benefits out of reach for many immigrants. The fee of Adjustment of Status to become a US Legal Permanent Resident will be $1,010! Proposed "penalty" for undocumented workers is $5,000. That means that a family of four will need $24,040 to apply to for residency. Even for documented families - people who have come to the US legally, it would be $4,040 just in government filing fees.