Let’s break down the Secure America Pledge while we allow people more time to sign the petition.

If you haven’t read the original post, the Secure America Pledge was proposed by Frank Gaffney, Jr. and The Center for Security Policy. It contains 10 points intended to steer policy debate on immigration. Here is the first point:

The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States.

Simple enough, but also key to any rational debate on immigration.

Recently in Georgia, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed state Senate bill 529 — the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance act. The provisions of the bill — holding employers responsible for hiring illegal aliens, disallowing the ability to claim their wages as a state tax deduction, and not allowing access to certain taxpayer-funded services by illegals — come back to the idea that sound immigration policy should, “benefit the citizens of the United States”.

This has the Mexican government in a twist.

Ruben Aguilar, spokesman for President Vicente Fox, said implementing parts of the Georgia bill could result in “acts of discrimination” against Mexicans in Georgia.

“It’s the position of (Fox) that the half-measures in this law are insufficient to resolve the complex phenomenon of immigration between Mexico and the United States,” Aguilar said.

Some analysts in Mexico also worried that the passage of the bill, which prevents undocumented adults from accessing state benefits, signaled an unwelcome direction in the debate over immigration reform in the United States.

Unwelcome by the Mexican government and open border activists perhaps, but an amazingly rational step in my mind.

Opponents try to portray reform such as this as racist. That is not the case. It is merely stating what should be self-evident, that the rights and privileges we have as Americans are for Americans.

Why, WHY, should American taxpayers be forced to pay for services for those here illegally? Why, why, WHY should business who knowingly employ illegal aliens be given an advantage over those who compete legally instead of being held accountable?

Let’s put this one to rest. The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States. At least it should be.