Jindal boosts ‘America idea’ in Mason City stop

MASON CITY - Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal hammered home many traditional conservative principles Sunday night and lashed out at fellow Republicans for not fighting hard enough for them.

Speaking to about 100 at a spaghetti dinner at a VFW hall in Mason City, the Louisiana governor said the 'America idea” - freedom and opportunity that has been a mainstay in this country for generations - is slipping away.

'We are becoming a country of dependence on government instead of independence to allow growth and success,” he said.

'I'm angrier with Republicans than I am with Democrats. We have become a country of honest socialists versus lying Republicans. We have had the chance to do something in Congress in the past two years, and we have done nothing.”

Jindal said House Speaker John Boehner failed because he couldn't rally Republicans.

'If Mitch McConnell (Senate majority leader) isn't willing to fight for our principles, he needs to step down too,” Jindal said. 'We have become the party of ‘we can't.' ”

He said he wants Republicans to fight to abolish the Affordable Care Act, to approve a balanced budget amendment, to cut government spending, reduce government regulations and pass sensible immigration reform. He also favors term limits for Washington politicians.

On immigration, Jindal said, 'We need to secure our border once and for all. We need to end sanctuary cities and arrest mayors of cities as accessories if they do not go along with it. We need to realize that immigration without assimilation is an invasion.”

He also talked about his tax reform plan that would have three tiers of tax rates - 2 percent, 10 percent and 25 percent.

Jindal said some candidates favor a plan where some would pay no taxes. He thinks it is important for everyone to have 'some skin in the game.”

He said the moral and cultural decay in America is a huge problem - and it begins at home.

'We take steps to end bullying in our schools and then have our children come home and have fun killing people on their video games,” he said.

But he referred continually to his 'idea of America” theme.

'Shame on the fools in Washington for allowing the America idea to slip away. Shame on the rest of us for letting them,” he said.