Congressman Joaquín Castro has been making the rounds in San Antonio this week while Congress is on recess. The congressman is talking about providing Americans with opportunities for success.
On Thursday he spoke to San Antonio business leaders about building an infrastructure of opportunity -- a term he coined before he ever got to Capitol Hill.
Castro favors a government that aligns itself to enable individuals to be successful. He spoke of his meeting earlier this week with small business owners who got help through the Small Business Development Center at UTSA.
"That is another example of our government stepping in and being helpful to somebody to enable that person to achieve the American dream of owning a business and being successful for themselves," Castro said. "That is not heavy-handed government. That is not government being a big brother or overly aggressive. That is a purposeful government."
Castro warned his audiences to be wary of a trend of "nihilism" among those who are working to reduce the level of help people can get from the government.
"I think if you look at state politics and national politics, there is this creeping nihilism that is masquerading as conservatism that I think is dangerous to that infrastructure of opportunity and to the success of America," he said. "Sometimes somebody needs that SBA loan with a lower interest rate. When somebody's off to go to college and they can't quite afford it, government has a real role to play in making sure these things are possible."
Later, Castro said the same thing to about 150 constituents gathered at Memorial High School and updated the group on the latest news on immigration reform. He expects a comprehensive immigration bill to pass in 2013.
