Memorable legislative comments

"Unless Representative Wright has some satisfactory explana-tion, which certainly did not happen today, he can certainly no longer be effective here."

HOUSE SPEAKER JOE HACKNEY, AFTER THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOUND THAT REP. THOMAS WRIGHT HAD TAKEN AS MUCH AS $220,000 IN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FOR PERSONAL USE.

"Be sure your sin will find you out."

FORMER STATE REP. MICHAEL DECKER, QUOTING NUMBERS 32:23 ABOUT HIS DECISION TO ACCEPT A $50,000 BRIBE TO HELP KEEP FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER JIM BLACK IN POWER.

"The Jewish people do better than our general population in verbal."

STATE. REP. CURTIS BLACKWOOD, A UNION COUNTY REPUBLICAN, EXPLAINING THAT AMERICAN STUDENTS NEED LONG SUMMER VACATIONS TO STIMULATE THEIR CREATIVITY SO THEY CAN COMPETE WITH SMARTER STUDENTS ELSEWHERE. BLACKWOOD LATER APOLOGIZED.

"You and I know there are all kinds of shenanigans that go on in money and politics."

FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER JIM BLACK, TESTIFYING AT HIS SENTENCING HEARING.

"I had one teacher, I told him later that I thought he whipped me like a rented mule. But I truly believe that I would have served time in prison had I not had the discipline that I had in school."

REP. RONNIE SUTTON, A PEMBROKE DEMOCRAT, SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION TO A BILL THAT WOULD BAN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS. THE BILL FAILED.

"I think that a lot of the legislators are scared of the Realtors and they've got to decide: Do they stand with the Realtors or do they stand with the people they represent?"

GOV. MIKE EASLEY, SIDING WITH HOUSE LEADERS WHO WANTED AN INCREASE IN THE LAND TRANSFER TAX. THEY WON.

"There's some pretty good mediocre people out in this world, and I'm glad to be a representative of these people."

Sen. Steve Goss, a Boone Democrat, taking exception to a statement from another state senator that publicly financed campaigns would lead to "mediocre candidates."

"But when you talk about freedoms, I think somebody else's freedom ends when it enters my lungs."

REP. JEFF BARNHART, A CONCORD REPUBLICAN, TALKING ABOUT A BILL TO BAN SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES.

"There's enough blame to go around for everybody regardless of partisan bent."

REP. DAN BLUE, A RALEIGH DEMOCRAT, ON A RESOLUTION APOLOGIZING FOR THE STATE'S ROLE IN THE WILMINGTON RACE RIOTS OF 1898.

"I was bullied as a kid and I wasn't on that list."

REP. PAUL STAM, AN APEX REPUBLICAN, TALKING ABOUT A BILL THAT WOULD REQUIRE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO ADOPT POLICIES TO INVESTIGATE AND PUNISH BULLYING OR HARASSMENT MOTIVATED BY FACTORS SUCH AS RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, ANCESTRY, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR MENTAL, PHYSICAL, OR SENSORY DISABILITY.

"I can tell you, having just come off a hard-fought campaign, the folks out there are expecting more, not less, from us."

REP. CULLIE TARLETON, A DEMOCRAT FROM BLOWING ROCK, DURING A DEBATE ON ETHICS LEGISLATION.