Wilson: My budget situation was different than now

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Former California Governor Pete Wilson said Monday that he also didn't think the current state budget standoff - which kept state GOP legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in California rather than attending the convention - could be fairly compared to what he dealt with in the mid-1990s.

Then, Wilson agreed to a temporary tax increase as a way to fill a state budget deficit, as Democrats have pushed for this year.

Speaking to reporters after a speech to the California delegation to the Republican National Convention Wilson said that the difference is that years of deficit spending since then have led to the current situation.

"Once you start deficit spending, it's not just a slippery slope," Wilson said. "It's hell to get off of."

He said that unlike in California's recent history, he'd already reduced general fund spending before the deficit, so there was more agreement among Democrats and Republicans that a tax increase was needed.

"We had $7 billion in spending cuts, and I don't see that in the current debate," Wilson said.