Everyone had an opinion this week.

A judge opined on a lawsuit, a senator gave his thoughts on a campaign and a candidate made a snarky remark on his rival's methods.

All were among the most-read posts this week:

1. No Moore Lawsuit. A Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging state Treasurer Richard Moore withheld public records. About three months too late for Moore's taste.

2. Chuck's Fired Up. New York Sen. Charles Schumer says Democratic Senate nominee Kay Hagan is "on fire." And a group he leads has $6 million of gasoline.

3. No Bail Out. State lawmakers declined to bail out the health plan after the House and Senate couldn't agree. Hey, at least they agreed on the budget.

4. Silly Seasoning. Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory complains that a Beverly Perdue staffer is recording him. At least he got $50 out of it.

5. No Futures. The U.S. House decides to look into suggestions by Rep. Bob Etheridge to curb excessive speculation on oil futures. Does that include TV pundits?

State lawmakers will not try to bail out the health plan that serves roughly 650,000 state workers, teachers, retirees and their families before the 2008 session ends today.

House and Senate leaders could not reach an agreement on how to fix the plan, which they say is paying out more than it is taking in. The House voted Thursday to set aside $100 million from the rainy day fund to cover deficits, but the Senate won't take up the legislation, Dan Kane reports.

Senate leaders wanted to raise co-pays for brand-name prescription drugs and on doctor visits, but House leaders said it was unfair to place that burden on plan members at a time when gas, food and other costs are rising rapidly.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand and House Minority Leader Hugh Holliman said if the plan heads deeply into the red, a special legislative session could be called to work out a fix.

"We'll just deal with it on a week-to-week, month-to-month basis," said Holliman, a Lexington Democrat. "If we get into real trouble we'll just have a special session."

The plan currently has about $140 million in it, Holliman said, but he added that the plan spends roughly $50 million a week. The plan's interim administrator, Jack Walker, said it should have more than $200 million in it by early next year to stabilize it.

The plan's troubles only surfaced recently, and led to the abrupt firing of executive administrator George C. Stokes. He said he has steered the plan from serious deficits, and expects it to perform well in the current fiscal year that ends June 30, 2009.

Lawmakers are planning to adjourn this afternoon.

Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger gave the session low grades.

The Eden Republican said he was still frustrated by the Democratic majority's use of the rules to have its way. His grades:

Legislative Process: D-. Berger said that bills were "pretty much decided" before they reached the Senate floor, and the 2008 budget was "written behind closed doors."

"It's pretty much the same way it's been in other years," he said.

The Budget: D or F-. Berger said the budget did not take into account the troubled economy or financial problems with the State Health Plan. On the other hand, he was happy to see that less money was transferred from the Highway Trust Fund to the general fund.

On the plus side, he praised a pilot project for incentive pay at some school systems as well as the final wording of a bill that would keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, which he helped write. 

"I think we ended up with language that respected the Second Amendment and addressed problems evident from the Virginia Tech shootings," he said.  

The last big battle between the House and Senate this session may well be how to bail out the N.C. State Health Plan.

The House passed legislation that would provide $100 million from the rainy day fund to cover deficits in the plan, which legislative leaders say could be steep by early next year, Dan Kane reports.

But Senate leaders say they are considering raising co-payments or deductibles for the roughly 650,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and their families to cover deficits.

"I'm sorry that we have to be tweaking this right now, but we have to be prudent so we don't crash the system," said state Sen. Linda Garrou, a Winston-Salem Democrat and chief budget writer.

House leaders say they don't want to hit those on the plan with an increase at a time when gas and food prices are rising.

"It seems to me that this is the only choice among difficult choices," said Rep. Dan Blue, a Raleigh Democrat, after the House rolled out its plan.

More after the jump.

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The former executive administrator of the State Health Plan, who was abruptly fired last week, challenged his removal in a letter released today.

George C. Stokes said the two legislative leaders who effectively fired him gave "invalid, inaccurate and misleading" about the plan's finances, and failed to follow proper procedure in removing him from the position, Dan Kane reports.

"I know for certain that the State Health Plan was in no jeopardy whatsoever and there was absolutely no need for the precipitous action they took," Stokes said in the letter, which was released by his attorney, James E. Ferguson II of Charlotte.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand and House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman caused Stokes to be fired after sending a letter to state Insurance Commissioner Jim Long seeking Stokes' removal. The two leaders said that they had received information showing that the plan's finances had swung from $50 million in the black to $65 million in the red.

They said the change in the plan's fortunes could mean higher premiums for those on the plan next year. They also said that legislative staff had a difficult time getting information about the plan's finances.

More after the jump.

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The State Health Plan's executive administrator was abruptly fired Tuesday after lawmakers discovered a $115 million loss in the fund that provides health care for roughly 650,000 employees' and retirees' health care.

House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, sent a letter to state Insurance Commissioner Jim Long "requesting a change in leadership," which led to the dismissal of George Stokes. He had led the plan for roughly three years.

"We just felt that we were not informed in the way we should," said Holliman.

Holliman said lawmakers had expected a $50 million surplus in the plan, but discovered last week that there was a $65 million deficit. He said it would not affect the state budget for the current fiscal year that began on Monday, but would need to be dealt with in next year's state budget.

He said the prior administrator, Jack Walker, has been asked to lead the health plan on an interim basis.

The letter sent to Long said that "we very much appreciate Mr. Stoke's service to the state and regret that this action is necessary, but believe it to be essential."

Chrissy Pearson, a spokeswoman for the state Insurance Department, said Long and other staff had no idea there were problems with the fund or with Stokes' management.

"It has caught us by surprise," she said.

Immigration, energy efficiency, and soccer.

These are just a few of the topics taken up by state Sen. Kay Hagan in the current legislative short session. The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate sponsored one and cosponsored 10 non-budget bills so far in 2008.

Two bills seem most likely to come up in her race against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole. The first, which she cosponsored, would require employers use the federal E-Verify program to check that employees can legally work in the United States.

That program, you may recall, was touted by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith, who used it at his road- and home-building businesses.

Another bill she cosponsored would create a state sales tax holiday for a week each April on energy-efficient light bulbs, home appliances, electronics and insulation. It would be similar to the popular back-to-school holiday already in effect.

On a lighter note, the bill she sponsored could also be used to remind political commentators of a popular swing vote constituency: Soccer moms. The bill would create a special "Support Soccer" license plate.

Other bills she cosponsored: Change the local requirements for recall petitions in the city of Greensboro. Increase the monthly pension for retired firefighters and paramedics. Limit or exempt baked goods from the state sales tax. Increase benefits from the State Health Plan. Allow the legislature to meet in Greensboro one day for its centennial. Honor Korean War Veterans. Commemorate Israel's 60th anniversary.