Schwarzenegger on the Budget Deficit: We've Got Two Weeks or Else...

Come June 15th--that's just 13 days from now--the state of California could be a path to having no money, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told the legislature yesterday. Tough choices lie ahead, such as those we've been hearing about since last week like the cutting of most all state parks and all of welfare. He's urging lawmakers to pass those budget proposals within the next two weeks, a short time to solve a $24 billion deficit.

But many are balking at that notion. "Should we be the only state without a safety net? Should we eliminate efficient programs that bring in federal money?" asked Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles. "The wholesale elimination (of welfare and health insurance programs) would completely reshape the state of California and I don't believe that reflects the quality of life Californians would like to have."