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Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio warns 'American Dream' slipping away

Ray Hagar
Reno Gazette-Journal
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio warned about the loss of the American Dream at a rally at the Peppermill Hotel Casino in Reno on Monday, Aug. 31, 2015.

RENO — Sen. Marco Rubio made his first stop in Reno this campaign cycle Monday night, telling an estimated crowd of about 250 that the United States is in danger of losing the “American Dream” of success and falling further behind militarily to other world powers.

“It is unsafe abroad and it is unstable at home economically,” said Rubio at the Peppermill Hotel Casino. “People are starting to believe that the American Dream is starting to slip from their reach. And you know what? If we keep doing what we are doing, that is exactly what will happen.”

While the Republican senator from Florida at times warned the crowd that the nation must change, he was confident that with the right people in office, the nation can overcome any problem.

“Now here is the good news,” Rubio said. “We don’t have to keep doing what we have been doing. Every single problem I have outlined to you, we can fix. We have it in our reach to fix every one of these problems.”

Rubio said the American Dream is being lost for many reasons.

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He said the college system is a monopoly that does not put enough emphasis on vocational education. Americans lack "moral clarity" in foreign policy in which the leaders of Iran are treated better than the nation's allies in Israel and the nation's immigration system must be made more secure. Rubio echoed a critical point made in July in Carson City, Nev., by rival GOP candidate Jeb Bush — that our immigration system must be based on economic talent and not on family relations.

“Legal immigration must be done on the basis of what you can contribute and what job you can do,” Rubio said.

Rubio, whose parents came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1956, noted an immigration system based on family “might have worked in 1956 but the world has changed.”

Rubio was highly critical of the nation’s military stagnation while he said, other nations such as China, North Korea and Russia build their military power.

Rubio called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “a lunatic” and called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a gangster.” He added that North Korea has missiles that can reach the West Coast of the U.S.

“If I am president of the United States, there will be no doubt for anyone on this planet that the United States is committed to remain the most powerful military force in the world,” he said to rousing applause.

His 20-minute speech was often interrupted with cheers.

Janie Conway, a retired educator, liked what she heard from Rubio about the military. Conway has a grandson who has served in Afghanistan.

“Our kids are still over there being shot and getting brought home in body bags,” said Conway. “We need to build our military back up.”

Rubio appealed to the young people there to decry the current system where a college graduate is saddled with debt from student loans that will take decades to pay off.

He said many jobs are available that do not require a four-year college degree.

“We stopped training people in vocational careers,” Rubio said. “We are not producing enough plumbers. We are not producing enough welders. You know how much a welder makes? A lot more than a Greek philosopher.”

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