N.C. Rep. Mitchell Setzer recalled that, early in the current legislative session, one of the leaders of the House asked if he intended to vote for the budget. Setzer replied that he could not make a commitment since he had not seen the budget and did not know what it would provide. The legislative leader replied that at least 30 House members had already promised to vote for the budget bill, sight unseen.

Speaking to the July meeting of the Iredell Republican Men’s Club, Setzer related the incident as an example of what was wrong with the current leadership of the General Assembly.

Once the budget was presented, Setzer was one of the minority who voted “no” (see article page 3). He noted that the budget increased spending by nearly ten percent, whereas inflation plus population growth would only justify an increase of 5.6 percent.

The budget spends $50 million of Highway Trust Fund money for non-highway purposes It also uses $470 million in non-recurring funds to pay for continuing projects. “We are destined for a train wreck next year,” he concluded.

Setzer said that a Democrat member of the state House had recently resigned after being arrested for loan fraud. Except for coverage by the Raleigh News & Observer, the story was all but ignored by the state’s mainstream press. If the culprit had been a Republican, the incident would have been front-page news around the state, Setzer charged.

Setzer is a resident of Catawba County, but his district includes several precincts in western Iredell County.

Judge Rusty Duke, a candidate for Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, recently spoke to a group of supporters in Iredell County.

Duke is competing against current Chief Justice Sarah Parker, who was appointed to the post by Gov. Easley. Judicial races are non-partisan, but political parties can endorse candidates. Duke has the Republican endorsement; Parker is a Democrat.

Duke said he is a conservative who believes that judges should interpret the law, not use their office to make law. He has been a Superior Court judge for 17 years, and has earned a reputation for being tough on crime.