VIDEO: TX Rep. Joaquín Castro Talks Texas’ Budget Crisis

To hear Texas State Rep. Joaquín Castro tell it, the very existence of the American Dream in Texas hangs in the balance given the current budget crisis. We spoke to Castro last week at his law office in downtown San Antonio, Texas, where he shared with us the seemingly epic task before him and the rest of the legislature this session, which is to somehow cut $27 billion dollars from the budget without bringing in any additional revenue — or dipping into the $9 billion rainy day fund.

All of this at the behest of Republican Governor Rick Perry.

A few highlights from the interview — which is worth watching, even if it’s a bit long(sorry, I’m still learning video editing!) — touch on education, senior services and gambling.

Castro notes that public education, higher education and health and human services are the main targets during the session. Public school layoffs and closures are about inevitable, tuition will rise in universities even as there’s less financial aid available, meanwhile seniors will find themselves with less access to state-funded nursing homes, hospitals and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements.

He called it “devastation,” and it sounds about right. And neither Gov. Perry nor other politicos want to open the door to gambling or taxes in order to stop some of the financial hemorrhaging. Ouch. Looks like it’s going to be a long session.