ARNOLD CONFRONTS REALITY: Arnold Schwarzenegger calls for state welfare to be ended in California.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has compared his state’s financial crisis to that of Greece and called for scrapping the state welfare system to close a $19.1 billion budget gap. He said the US state, with an economy that ranks as the eighth largest in the world, faced the same budget deficit crisis as eurozone countries such as Greece, Spain and Ireland. . . . Democratic State Senate President Darrell Steinberg said his party, which controls both chambers of the legislature, could not support Schwarzenegger.

“The cuts are absolutely unacceptable,” Steinberg said, adding that instead of slashing spending Schwarzenegger should delay business tax breaks.

Yep, sounds like Greece all right.

UPDATE: Reader Dale Russell writes: “When can we expect to see Californians rioting, burning down buildings, etc.? It is time for the entitlement class to hit the streets.” Well, we’ve already seen a bit of that.