Buy, Sell, or Hold? End of Session Edition with Sarah Taylor, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Senator Jeremy McPike
On this week's live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, Alexandria Assistant City Manager Sarah Taylor, and pinch hitter Senator Jeremy McPike to get their takes on the end of the latest General Assembly Session: from passive-aggressive policies to "peace in the valley," invasive plants, and Jim Crow minimum wage exceptions.
Episode Transcript
Michael Pope
Hi, I'm Michael Pope, and this is Pod Virginia. A podcast that's nearing the end of this General Assembly session. And it's time for our game show, Buy, Sell, or Hold. Live from the 11th floor of the General Assembly Building; Delegate Marcus Simon, thank you for opening up your office. Which has a much better view than the 10th floor.
Marcus Simon
Well, you're very welcome. It's great to be here. I think it's my turn to host. We're doing a rotating thing here. We started in Surovell's office for pre-session. Then we did crossover, way down below, in the dregs of the 10th floor. And here we are on the 11th floor, on a gray day, but happy to have you all here for buy, sell, or hold.
Michael Pope
We are also joined by Delegate Alfonso Lopez.
Alfonso Lopez
I'm sorry, but I can't really focus. I'm in this really ugly, dilapidated office on the 11th floor, and it's really disconcerting. So, I'm going to hand this over to Sarah.
Michael Pope
We are also joined by everybody's favorite contestant, Sarah Taylor.
Sarah Graham Taylor
Michael, I'm glad to be back. Thank you for having me. My two lungs are inflated, and I'm ready to go.
Michael Pope
We are not joined by Pod Virginia All-Star Majority Leader Scott Surovell. Still, we've got pinch hitter Senator Jeremy McPike. Senator, thanks for joining us.
Jeremey McPike
Great to be here. It is the 11th floor, so I might get a little altitude sickness since, usually, I'm on the sixth floor. But I do have a better view. So it's good to be here.
Michael Pope
Because majority leader Scott Surovell isn't here. We'll start with Scott Surovell as the topic. The rules of the game are very simple. You can buy, sell, or hold. We don't want too many holds. There is some social stigma attached with holding on a topic. So, our first topic of the day is the absence of majority Leader Scott Surovell.
Marcus Simon
I'm a big buy on this. I think that we've recruited a sort of a Lou Gehrig situation. First base one day came in as a last-minute replacement and never gave up his position for another 2,000 some games. I think Jeremy McPike is the guy to do that. I think he could displace Surovell. I think he's probably smarter, funnier, and better-looking. So it's an upgrade.
Michael Pope
An upgrade Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on the absence of our friend Majority Leader Scott Surovell.
Alfonso Lopez
I am a buy on the absence of Scott Surovell. I have to live with him during session. So, this respite is actually welcome.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on the absence of the Majority Leader?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm gonna sell on the absence of our Majority Leader. As much as I appreciate Senator McPike. Senator Surovell is, in fact, my Senator, my personal Senator, and I certainly miss his wit, humor, snark, and sarcasm. He's also carrying a really big bill for me this session. So I feel like I had to say that.
Michael Pope
I'm sure we'll get around to that at some point in this game show. Jeremy McPike, you're here because of the absence of Scott Sourvell. Buy, sell, or hold on to him not being here.
Jeremey McPike
That's a big lie. In fact, today, I had to move an entire section of our Senate Calendar because he was absent from the floor. And so this is just a continuation. This is where it's at. And this was what it came to at the end of the session.
Michael Pope
All right, well, you say we're coming to the end of the session; I think there has been a lot of talk about a potential special session. Perhaps some unfinished business. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, I'll start with you, buy, sell, or hold on the potential of a special session.
Alfonso Lopez
I'm a buy on a special session. There's some interesting things that could happen during the special session in terms of procedural long term plays. But I'm also a buy on ending session on time and being efficient and getting everything done in an efficient manner, which I think we have.
Michael Pope
There's been a lot of talk that the special session might be about the arena. Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on a special session for the arena?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a buy on a special session if it's about the arena. I am a sell on special sessions in general because the more we have them, the less special they get. And they're just sessions.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, buy, sell, or hold on the potential for a special session?
Jeremey McPike
We're getting this done. We've got so much stuff wrapping up this week. We've done a lot of good work to get us there. No special session.
Michael Pope
No special session. You heard it here first, folks. Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on the potential for a special session?
Marcus Simon
So I am a great big buy. I have three words for you, thirty-dash five. Thirty-dash five is the code section that says we attorneys get automatic continuances by right whenever the General Assembly is in session or in a special session. So, lawyers who are members of the General Assembly benefit from this perpetual, not-so-special state of session. And so I'm a big buy. I know for other substantive reasons, I think we want to be in a special session. When you have a Republican governor and a Democratic General Assembly. It limits his ability to do normal appointments, replace judges, and do some other things. There are strategic reasons why you might want to have a special session going on for the last two years of this Governor's term.
Michael Pope
Our next topic on the game show is a phrase that everybody heard during the General Assembly session: "Peace in the valley." Sarah Taylor, I'm going to start with you: buy, sell, or hold on this hackneyed expression.
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a sell on peace in the valley. I am a sell because I'm from a part of the Commonwealth that does not have valleys. I would prefer if we talked about peace on the waterfront, peace along the Richmond highway, or peace along our sewer tunnels. Peace in the valley does not resonate with me. I don't understand it, and it doesn't do anything for me, so I am a sell.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, your colleague, and Senator David Suetterlein suggested that perhaps it should be "peace in the mountains" or some other geography other than valleys. Buy, sell, or hold on this hackneyed phrase, peace in the valley?
Jeremey McPike
I'm a big sell. This is my big red flag: peace in the valley, peace in the mountains, peace anywhere. You know there is no peace between chambers. We have bills being passed 100 to 0 that die in either chamber. There's never any peace until the final vote is done. That's the only time there's actual peace.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on to the expression everyone's using all the time: peace and the valley.
Marcus Simon
I am a buy. I've heard a freshman this year call it peace on the valley. Or they get up and make a point of order in cometh in the valley. It's right up there with "camel's nose under the tent," "Christmas tree bell," and "slippery slope," and all the different things that we do. So it's a quick shorthand for letting folks know that all the stakeholders involved are on board. So I'm a buy, but don't try to use a General Assembly phrase when you're brand new if you haven't mastered the right prepositions.
Michael Pope
Peace in the valley—I'm going to remember that. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, should we buy, sell, or hold on to peace in the valley?
Alfonso Lopez
I'm a buy on peace in the valley. It's an interesting historical term. Also, it is an amazing gospel album from the 50s, and Elvis Presley covered it, so it must be okay.
Michael Pope
Okay, well, on that note, we're going to our next topic. Jeremy McPike, you are first on this one. Passive-aggressive apologies: Should we buy, Sell, or Hold on to passive-aggressive apologies?
Jeremey McPike
Buy; we all need levity. This is the time we're all getting crazy. We just about hate each other. And sometimes you need a little of that levity. So I'm a buy, gotta love it.
Michael Pope
There's not always a lot of levity involved in all of the passive-aggressive apologies that happen here. Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on passive-aggressive apologies?
Marcus Simon
I'm a hold.
ZZBOO FROM FROWD
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Alfonso Lopez
No, it's I apologize. I apologize. I apologize.
Marcus Simon
I apologize. I apologize. I apologize. So yeah, I'm on hold. Sometimes, they work, and sometimes, they don't. I'm all for apologies, but passive-aggressive ones are not so much. I guess it's better than no apology, but apologies should be sincere.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on passive-aggressive apologies?
Alfonso Lopez
I'm a sell. I am a sell on passive-aggressive apologies. There's never any situation where a passive-aggressive apology is okay. Especially if the situation took place over the last week. It was sort of ugly and wrong. And so I'm sorry about how that whole situation played out in the lesser chamber of the Senate.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on passive-aggressive apologies?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a sell on passive-aggressive apologies. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Don't say anything mean. That's what I tell my kids. And I feel like a lot of the things I tell my kids are things I should tell some of the folks here in the General Assembly, and so I'm a sell on the passive-aggressive apology.
Michael Pope
All right, Delegate Marcus Simon, you're first on this one. Expanding penalties for revenge porn.
Marcus Simon
I am for that. I'm a big buy on that. I carried one of the first revenge porn bills in Virginia in 2014. I was happy to see that expand. I think I put that bill in for drafting and handed it off to Delegate Irene Shin, who put it in. I thought it's probably more appropriate to have somebody of her generation and somebody who's more in touch with the folks that are most affected by that kind of thing. But I'm a big buy. A big believer in it and glad to see it happen.
Michael Pope
I did a radio spot this week about that bill, and I failed to mention that it was introduced by Delegate Irene Shin. I heard from her, and she asked me why I didn't mention this was my bill. So, for the record, it was, as you just said, Delegate, introduced by Delegate Irene Shin. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Buy, Sell or Hold on expanding penalties for revenge porn?
Alfonso Lopez
A big buy. It's fascinating how we've had to modify the code as technology grows and as people find new ways to abuse things. I'm a big buy on this issue.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on expanding penalties for revenge porn?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Not to put Senator McPike in an awkward position, but I don't know who'd be a sell on increasing penalties for revenge porn. It seems like a no-brainer. What happens between consenting adults happens between consenting adults. However, using things that happen between consenting adults against each other down the road is certainly not something that should occur. And should be heavily penalized, and so I'm a buy on increasing penalties for revenge porn.
Michael Pope
Well, you don't know who would be against it. Most Republicans actually voted against it. I believe Danny Diggs was the lone Republican who voted for Irene Shin's bill. Senator Jeremy McPike, buy, sell, or hold on expanding penalties for revenge porn?
Jeremey McPike
Buy. It's fascinating to see the level of AI and what else is going on now. I'm fearful for my kids and what they're gonna face. It's an ever-changing landscape. So, it's a big buy on this one.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, your next. Our topic is just a country lawyer, buy, sell, or hold on to this hackneyed phrase of members of the General Assembly, trying to pretend like...
Alfonso Lopez
They are just country lawyers. No, I'm a buy on this phrase because it harkens back to a proud tradition of local country lawyers who cared, the Atticus finches of Virginia. I also love the fact that some of the people who actually are using this phrase are really trying to take on the big guys. Richard Stewart is taking on Amazon. So it's an interesting use of the phrase, and it's fascinating that we're bringing it back in 2024
Michael Pope
Senator Mark Peake likes to call himself a big-city lawyer because he's in Lynchburg. Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on just a country lawyer.
Sarah Graham Taylor
So I'm a sell on just a country lawyer unless it's followed by the phrase and a big city lawyer. Because I feel like this is a setup for a great sitcom, a great podcast, the country lawyer, and the city lawyer going to the General Assembly to make Virginia a better place, I am here for it. I want to see it. Richard Stewart and Mark Peake feel like there's a real opportunity here. Y'all just need to step up and give me just a country lawyer and a big city lawyer.
Alfonso Lopez
I'd wanna be their neighbor, like the jovial neighbor who (distinct)
Michael Pope
You can't talk if the microphone is not in your face.
Senator Jeremy McPikem, buy, sell, or hold on just a country lawyer.
Jeremey McPike
I'm a buy, and I want to hearken back to an earlier question. Is this the veiled apology for what's to come? This is the preface for the veiled apology that we talked about earlier. And so this is a topic where I'm gonna pop a can of you know what on your topic because you don't know jack about what you're talking about. And so I'm a buy; I love it.
Michael Pope
It was a passive-aggressive introduction to a takedown that was about to happen. Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on to just a country lawyer?
Marcus Simon
Yeah, I'm a buy, and I have a different take on it. Usually, I hear about the difference between city folk and country folk. The city lawyer wants everyone to think he's the smartest guy in the room. And the country lawyer actually wants to be underestimated. They actually realize this strategic advantage and are being underestimated. So I'm just a country, aka I'm probably not as smart as you. Again, maybe it's a preface, as Senator McPike said, to be much smarter than you. But I kind of like that little bit of humility, which is a rare commodity here in the General Assembly. Most of us are trying to show off how smart we are. So I'll take a little bit of it; I'm just a simple country lawyer every now and then, even if it is maybe insincere and passive-aggressive.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, you're first on this next topic, which is calculating teacher raises using data from a union and getting ready to collect your pearls here. Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Not a union (sarcastically). I'm a buy on calculating teacher pay raises period. As a parent of three children in public schools in Virginia, I am pretty sure our teachers are underpaid. As somebody who came here from a state that has terrible schools and underpaid their teachers, I've lived the cautionary tale of what happens when you underfund education and don't pay our teachers. So, I am a buy on calculating teacher pay from whatever metric you want to use as long as it increases teacher pay.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, Buy, Sell or Hold on calculating teacher raises using data from a union. Oh,
Jeremey McPike
Oh, it's simple. It's a buy because, any metric, we're 20 years behind, literally behind, and it's gonna take us years to catch up. So, by any metric out there, we're still behind, including being behind West Virginia; for God's sake, help ourselves out, Virginians. Let's get it going. And so no matter what metrics are on the table, we still have our work cut out for us; I'm gonna buy.
Michael Pope
The right to work state, the right to have some data. Delegate Marcus Simon, Buy, Sell, or Hold on calculating teacher raises using data from a union.
Marcus Simon
I am a buy on Republicans continuing to complain about this. And I thought it was a fascinating floor debate. I think the more we talk about why Republicans don't think we need to pay teachers, at least the national average, the better. Let's have that conversation over and over again. Let's talk about who's calculating the data and whether we can trust it or not. The fact is that they are they're a sell on paying teachers, at least the national average. Republicans don't think Virginians deserve that much; we Democrats do. So, let's have the conversation. Let's talk about it. I don't know what makes me Buy, Sell, or what. Maybe I just changed the question, but yeah, let's do it. Right, good.
Michael Pope
Okay. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Buy, Sell, or Hold on using data from a union to calculate teacher raises.
Alfonso Lopez
I'm a buy on raising teacher salaries. We pride ourselves on being the best of the best, and we need to pay our teachers as if we're the best of the best as well.
Michael Pope
Next on my list is Jeremy McPike. You're first on this one. I've got my list of hackneyed phrases here that I want to focus on for this episode. This is another hackneyed phrase, and I'm just so sick of people talking about guard rails. Buy, Sell, or Hold on guardrails?
Jeremey McPike
Sometimes, explaining is hard, and sometimes, you have to throw out phrases to get ideas out of what you're trying to communicate. So I'm going to be a lukewarm buy. You have to do it tactfully and appropriately when you need to. But don't use it every single bill. Don't overuse it. Otherwise, I'm going to sell, and red flags are coming out and coming after you.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon, Buy, Sell, or Hold on to this hackneyed phrase guard rails?
Marcus Simon
I guess it's a lukewarm sell. Because I think it's kind of run its course. It's gotten to the point where people talk about guard rails. And you throw it in there, and sometimes it doesn't describe what you're trying to do. And it can be a little lazy. Sometimes, we hear these phrases over and over again. So I'm gonna lukewarm sell; it's time to move on to something else. I don't know what the replacement for guardrails should be. Maybe boundary lines or barriers, but we had a lockbox for a while; we put everything inside a lockbox, and these things run their course. I do think that guard rails have gotten to the point we're ready to sell it. We've worn it out, so let's go into something new.
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, who's still mastering waiting to talk until the microphone is in front of your face, Buy, Sell, or Hold on guard rails?
Michael Pope
You seem, bitter; I want to circle back. I miss Surovell.
He waited until the microphone was in front of his face before he started speaking.
Alfonso Lopez
I think banisters should be called balustrades, tough rails, or fenders instead of guardrails. We just say fenders. No, I think it's fine. It's a trick to get people to understand which way you're going and what you're trying to accomplish. And so I'm a buy on guardrails.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, Buy, Sell, or Hold on guard rails?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm a rent-to-own on guard rails. I feel like guardrails the new framework, McPike. But to the Senator's point and the Delegate's point, I do think what they are trying to do is limit something or moderate something without saying limit. And so it's like our rails, I'm just trying to keep something on a path and keep it from going off, or shall I say, keep it from going down into the valley where there may or may not be peace. I'm not really sure what a guardrail is for. So, I think it's a good keyword, but just like all of these hackneyed phrases, they have to be used appropriately. You can't overuse them, and that's when it gets into the slippery slope of appropriate use of hackneyed phrases.
Michael Pope
I think you fit them all into that answer.
Moving on to our next topic, Delegate Marcus Simon, your first on this one. Do you really have to be physically in a lawyer's office to write a will? Can't you do this via Zoom? Buy, Sell, or Hold on to the idea that you must be in a lawyer's office in order to write a will?
Marcus Simon
I'm a sell if I'm going to be consistent with my vote. We'll call back to our country lawyer, city lawyer, kind of a question. I've been doing virtual real estate settlements since the pandemic began, and it works really well. You have two-way video communication; you can ask questions, and you can really have a good sense of how the person on the other end is and measure their capacity. I know the country lawyers in the Senate just didn't think that was at all possible and that you couldn't really determine the capacity of a testator; I'm throwing in my lawyer words because I'm a city lawyer, and I need everybody to know how smart I am. So, at any rate, you want everybody in the room so that you can see their physical cues, and you need to look for what wouldn't manifest necessarily over a video screen. So, I'm gonna stay consistent with my vote. I'm gonna be foolishly consistent and say I am a sell on having to be in the same physical room.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Buy, Sell or Hold on requiring people to be actually physically in a lawyer's office to write a will.
Alfonso Lopez
I think technology is a wonderful thing if done properly. If we have the proper guardrails and balustrades around it, especially around making sure that folks have wills, then I think you don't necessarily have to be in there. As long as you have an attorney who can Zoom call with you or do something remotely as well, that works.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, Buy, Sell, or Hold on physically being in a lawyer's office to write a will?
Sarah Graham Taylor
So I'm going to be a sell on having to be in a lawyer's office to write a will or execute a will or whatever the right lawyer word is because I'm not a lawyer, country, city, or otherwise. I do not want to reuse the joke, but maybe it's something that needs guardrails. And whether you're doing millions and millions of dollars, maybe you should be in the room because you don't want somebody to be under duress. Maybe you can't see the cues of somebody off-screen, you know, holding a literal or figurative gun to somebody's head while they're doing something. But to the point that technology has come a long way I mean, hell we did school by zoom for a good long time. There are ways to do it well, and then there are ways to do it poorly. And so I guess I'm a sell on having to be an attorney's office to have your will done. But maybe there do need to be some guardrails in place to ensure it's done appropriately.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, many of your country lawyer colleagues feel that it's very important to be physically in a lawyer's office to write a will. Are you a buy, sell, or hold on that?
Jeremey McPike
Look we have three sells, but I think this is a slippery slope. I'm a buy, all right. I am a hard buy. And here's why, in my 20-plus years in the Fire and Rescue Service, physically being present when you go into the room to treat someone and the family scattered like cockroaches, I've seen this happen multiple times. The physical posture of what's going on is incredibly important when you're dealing with someone's life assets, life savings, whatever it is. And so, you learn a lot in the first five seconds of posture, tone, everything else, and, as Ms. Taylor said, guardrails. That's why I'm a buy.
Michael Pope
All right, our next topic is a personal bugaboo of mine. When you look at your calendar, you've got a whole section titled Unfinished Business. Isn't all business unfinished business? There's no part of the calendar that has finished business. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on unfinished business as a heading on the calendar.
Alfonso Lopez
I know it's necessary, but I'm a sell. I love to have finished business and make sure that everything is wrapped up with a nice bow.
Michael Pope
It makes no sense; finished business, I mean, come on. Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on unfinished business.
Sarah Graham Taylor
I think in the context of the calendar, I'm a sell on the phrase. I understand why it's there; I understand what it captures. Perhaps it is more unfinished, and other pieces are missing because it's gone to a conference, or it's come back, or whatever. So maybe it's more unfinished and other pieces of business. I would, for your sake, Michael Lee Pope, point out that some legislatures have a thing called other business on their calendar, which allows them to put anything on the calendar even if it hasn't been previously noticed. So, there are worse things that could be on our calendar than unfinished business from a Michael Pope transparency space. So I'm a sell because the turn of phrase is dumb, but I understand what it's trying to capture.
Michael Pope
Well, the way you described the other business, it sounds like a very exciting part of the calendar that I would look forward to. Senator Jeremy McPike, should we buy, sell, or hold on to unfinished business?
Jeremey McPike
Where are we here? I guess this is maybe a sell, I'm gonna hedge on this one because we have a waiting House action, so maybe everything should just be in that whole category.
Marcus Simon
It's waiting for House action like we normally do in the Senate because there's nothing getting anything done. And so this is a weird place of legislative purgatory; it's just floating. We're waiting and usually waiting on the House because they're slow.
Michael Pope
Oh, my God, shots fired. Lesser body shoots from across the bow.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on unfinished business.
Marcus Simon
I am a buy on unfinished business. I think it's tradition, and we got to have it. It's always been that way since 1619. We've had unfinished business on the House calendar. I'm one of the parliamentarians; I stick to those arcane rules and phrases. And I don't want them to be clear, concise, or understandable because that would empower other people to compete with me. I like having this narrow niche where I get this stuff. And unfinished business and stuff that's not very descriptive. I will say my favorite, though, is Fairfax County, right next to the jail, where there is something called the pre-release center. Like, isn't the whole thing pre-release? If you're not released yet, it's all pre-released. So I get your frustration as the author of that great book, the Bryd Machine. But I'm a buy on unfinished business.
Michael Pope
You get extra points for mentioning the book and its title. Thank you. Sarah Taylor, you're next on this one: Jim Crow exemptions for farmworkers: buy, sell, or hold?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm a sell-on Jim Crow exemptions for farmworkers. And farm workers are some of the hardest working folks in our Commonwealth and in our country. There's a reason that picking lettuce or tobacco might not be the first thing people list of what I want to be when I grow up, list because it's hard work. We should also reward hard work with fair pay. And so Jim Crow exemptions for farm work of any kind, whether it's worker protections or pay, I'm a sell on Jim Crow exemptions for farm labor.
Michael Pope
It comes up every year. And yet, it never seems to happen. Even when Democrats were in power. They did not get rid of this exemption. Senator Jeremy McPike, buy, sell, or hold on Jim Crow exemptions for farmworkers.
Jeremey McPike
Sell, I think it's time to modernize and update. This is one of the last languishing things. You're absolutely right; it's been out there year after year. I think providing those worker protections is absolutely essential.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon buys, sells, or holds on to these Jim Crow exemptions that prevent farmworkers from making the minimum wage.
Marcus Simon
I'm just a simple suburban lawyer. But I think when the question has Jim Crow in it, that's kind of a hint that the answer is sell. So I may sell on these Jim Crow; I do think that the question maybe kinda is a little tilted, but a big sell. We need to get rid of those exemptions and get the minimum wage. And the interesting question we get on the floor is, do you have any farms in your district? As if that mattered at all as if we shouldn't care about the conditions under which the workers produce the food that we eat and the products that we have? It shouldn't matter to us because we don't have farms in our district. So, I'm a big sell on Jim Crow or restrictions.
You're correct. It was a leading question. I have a goal for this session: All of my questions this year will be leading questions. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on to Jim Crow exemptions for farmworkers.
Alfonso Lopez
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, going down the list of all the states that actually have minimum wage standards that are similar across the board, same for farm workers and everybody. The fact that we still are one of the few states that have not rectified the situation is a real problem, a very big problem. Other states can make it work; other states can make the economy work and make sure that they have the manpower to make these things happen. So, I think we need to go down this road, finally, at the same time. I also understand the margins are very slim for family farms. I get that. At the same time, we shouldn't be maintaining some of this really antiquated language in the state code.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, you're first on this next question, which is a fun one. Virginia is the only state in the country with this one-term limit, and you're done. Should we buy, sell, or hold on to this one-term limit for Virginia governors?
Jeremey McPike
So buy on the term limit. Conversely, I think the question is, as we transfer power to the legislature, can the part-time legislators put in the effort to understand the continuity of governance across many, lots of different sections? For example, the Workforce Development reengineering that we passed last year was taken up 20 years ago. And never got done. So we see policy initiatives come up time and time again, and some governors struggle to get them done. They don't get across the finish line, and the next Governor doesn't pick it up. And at some point, the General Assembly has to own this choice. You either extend to two terms, or the General Assembly needs to figure out a way to pick up the ball and get things done.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on to this one-term limit for Virginia governors.
Marcus Simon
So, I am a big buy on a one-term limit for this Governor. I am open to hearing more about the next Governor, depending on who they are, is your nakedly political answer on my part. No, I'm a buy on this. I'm changing the question to one that's totally different from holding. No, I do think that we probably ought to look at it. So I'm gonna change my answer to a sell like this Governor will be a buy. But generally speaking, I think that, for the sake of some continuity, I think having a two-term governor wouldn't be a bad thing; they become lame ducks the moment they're sworn in, and that is a big problem. We're here today with the part-time legislature that we have.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on to a one-term limit for Virginia governors?
Alfonso Lopez
We definitely should have the ability of a governor to succeed themselves for one term, but I couldn't agree more with what Jeremy said, in that we should be empowering from the offset; we need to be empowering legislators to actually do a great deal more in terms of oversight, and continuity of government. For instance, we had a bill that studied the chemical storage tank issues in Virginia. It had a significant number of recommendations to improve this environmental hazard and address it across the Commonwealth. No one did anything for 10 years. So, we had a DQDOHDEM report, and nothing was implemented. And the idea of having some kind of power and oversight with the legislature to force these issues, I think even more so than what we have right now. On the other hand, if you allow the two-term Governor, I think it'd be a very important step in the right direction.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on to one term limit for Virginia governors?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a sell on the one-term limit for governors because right now, it feels like every two years, everybody in this joint thinks they're gonna be the next Governor. And it turns into a whole thing. Everybody starts posturing and thinking they're gonna be the next Governor. So I'm a sell because I think it gives a lot of folks in this building way too many big heads. There are too many feelings and too many big plans for folks. So I am a sell because I need to keep these folks in this building in their place.
Michael Pope
Our next topic is fashion, Delegate Marcus Simon. I'm going to start with you: The rise of the double-breasted suit: buy, sell, or hold?
Marcus Simon
I am a buy, I guess. I can't hold because I'd get hit again. I've already held one too many times. But sure, buy, go double-breasted. I mean, we're kind of rebounding off the pandemic, where we went tireless and your casual sports jacket. People wore pajamas on the floor or probably were wearing pajamas when they were on the virtual floor. So, there's nothing wrong with coming back and going formal.
Michael Pope
Do you have a double-breasted suit?
Marcus Simon
Not yet, but it's now on my list of things to buy.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on the double-breasted suit?
Alfonso Lopez
I miss Scott Surovell. Let me just say that right now. No, I'm a sell. It doesn't. It's not a very slimming look for short guys like me.
Michael Pope
You have to have the right physique to pull it off, no doubt about that. Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on to the double-breasted suit?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a buy on the double-breasted suit. I appreciate folks trying to look their best, fit their physique, and wear clothes that sort of they feel good in and that you're in something that represents who they are. I'm also a buy on the three piece suit, I would like to see more of this in the General Assembly. So basically, I'm a buy. Oh, Spats. Yeah, absolutely suspenders. Yes, to bow ties. I'm all for it, although maybe not the Scott Surovell red Valentine suit, but don't tell him he's not here. So yes, I'm a buy on the double breasted suit. I'm a buy on folks wearing what makes them look good and feel good and then perform well in their work here in the General Assembly.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, you have a colleague in the Senate who has a proclivity for double-breasted suits, which is why I put him in the rundown. Should we buy, sell, or hold on to the double-breasted suit?
Jeremey McPike
Sell, hard sell, I lose buttons. All right, we need to be more economical and save the button. All right, that's what I'm saying. Too many buttons. Keep it simple. Do you want to be athletic fun? I get up the athletic cut, whatever fits your thing. Too many buttons.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, you are going to be first on this next topic, which is the lingering presence of Stonewall Jackson in Capitol Square, which is still in a very prominent spot in Capitol Square. Buy, sell or hold on general Stonewall Jackson remaining in Capitol Square?
Alfonso Lopez
I'm a sell. I was a big proponent of getting rid of Robert Byrd's statue a while back because of what it represented and what it meant. The National Trust for Historic Preservation says that what you have in the public sphere and public square is it says what you value and what you fight for. We have three Confederate monuments still in Capitol Square. I would definitely be open to a robust conversation about the historical significance of those individuals and how each of them might be different. Extra Billy Smith was a former governor and a general in the Civil War. He's one of the statues. And I think there's a surgeon as well, who maybe had some other things that he had done in his life besides serving in the Confederacy.
Michael Pope
His nickname was Extra Billy Smith because he took extra money as postmaster, which means that he was not only a Confederate, but he was a corrupt Confederate. There is a statue honoring him in Capitol Square. Sarah Taylor, Harry Bryd has been evicted from Capitol Square, but Stonewall Jackson is still there; buy, sell, or hold?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a sell on Stonewall Jackson, which is remaining in Capitol Square. But I am a buy on Extra Billy's, which was my family's favorite barbecue joint here in Richmond when I went to college there. So we should evict Stonewall Jackson just like we evicted Harry Bryd, and we should probably evict the rest of them, but I'm a sell. I'm a buy on Extra Billy's Barbecue, at least.
Michael Pope
Senator Jeremy McPike, buy, sell, or hold on to the lingering presence of General Stonewall Jackson?
Jeremey McPike
First off, he was born in Virginia, but in the West Virginia part of Virginia. He's the guy that lost half of our territory in the Commonwealth, and he's completely responsible. I mean, technically, he's born in West Virginia. And he's the reason why West Virginia is West Virginia.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on Stonewall Jackson and Capitol Square.
Marcus Simon
I want to be a sell-on going forth because somebody inevitably steals your line. I was gonna say sell him to West Virginia because that's where he was actually born. To sell the statue, let's send it to Charleston; they can do what they want with it. But ya know, I'm a sell on Confederate monuments. So I'm gonna sell.
Michael Pope
All right, we've got one more serious topic and then one fun topic to end the podcast. Sarah and Taylor, you're going to be first on this one: buy, sell, or hold on to invasive plants.
Sarah Graham Taylor
Oh, I am a sell on invasive plants. I think that anything we can do to keep stuff out of our yard. I mean, there's a house I drive past every day that has bamboo that has literally overtaken the entire yard. And no matter what you do, that shit does not go away. So I'm a cell. I would note, however, that there is a seven-day bill on the Governor's desk about a state pollinator being the honeybee. The honeybee is an invasive species, so I think we're sort of speaking out of both sides of our mouths; it's a slippery slope here on what we do with as far as invaders in our Commonwealth. Still, I am a sell on encouraging the sale of invasive species.
Michael Pope
Gosh, I didn't realize that there was that bill about the honeybees; I guess you could say there hasn't really been a lot of buzz about that one. Senator Jeremy McPike, buy, sell, or hold on invasive plants?
Jeremey McPike
So, for the question, is holding a good thing? Where are we at here on the question?
Michael Pope
The question is, well, it was prompted by this legislation to crack down on invasive plants. Do you put the sign at the actual plant? Or do you put it at the door? These are the issues that you're wrestling with. The question is really open-ended; you can make of it what you will; you will notice your friend Delegate Marcus Simon has changed almost every question to be the question that he wanted, as opposed to the question that I asked. So, do invasive plants buy, sell, or hold?
Jeremey McPike
Well, I'm not selling them, so I'm buying them. This is where we get caught in a conundrum. Bamboo is a great example. English Ivy is a great example, but it is highly invasive. However, if you look at the list, crape myrtles are also invasive species, right? But they are kind of kind of nice looking. Where do we get to? Is there a determining factor for what an invasive species is? So it's kind of a soft sell that for those reasons? Yes, you should have some notes about what is invasive and what is going to take over your entire neighborhood, or what is like an invasive species that's really essentially non-native and also spreads.
Michael Pope
Didn't soft sell, have that 1980s Hit, Tainted Love? Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on invasive plants like crape myrtles. That's a new one for me. I did not realize crape myrtles were invasive plants. Buy, sell, or hope?
Marcus Simon
Well, so I am a buy on the legislation where we recently achieved peace in the valley on because it contained the proper guardrails to prevent us from going too far. And this is for listeners. This is seriously the debate that we have in the General Assembly. The debate was whether to put a sign on the door that says invasive plant species sold here or a sign on the plant that says invasive species. I swear to goodness, this is what I heard today on the conference report, the compromises the sign will be near the plants. So, I didn't ask how many there were, which means we all voted for it. So, I guess I'm buying banning invasive plant species. Thank goodness we got the guardrails right with this. And we really achieved peace in the valley with this awful bill.
Michael Pope
It's all about proximity. Delegate, Alfonso Lopez buy, sell or hold on invasive plants.
Alfonso Lopez
I am a buy on addressing the issue of invasive plants. It is a serious issue, despite the jocularity of my colleague Delegate Marcus Simon, And something he definitely needs to address. So I'm happy we passed the bill. Even though it was a small bill it does address something that is a real issue in the Commonwealth.
Michael Pope
Our final topic for this session ending the game show buy, sell, or hold. Senator Jeremy McPike, you're first on this one. Animal noises. Making animal noises on the floor of the House has long been known as a place for animal noises This week I heard some animal noises in your chamber. Buy, sell or hold on animal noises on the floor of the Senate chamber?
Jeremey McPike
It never happened. I think you missed any cat calls when we had that cat declawing bill. Well, frankly, the pollinator bill, there weren't buzzing sounds during that. It absolutely never happened on the Senate floor. You can ask our Clerk, and she will absolutely deny it. It's not noted in the Senate journal, and it also didn't happen in the big sell.
Michael Pope
I was in the room. I heard it with my own two ears, buy, sell, or hold. Delegate Marcus Simon buy, sell, or hold on animal noises in the House chamber.
Marcus Simon
So I'm a big buy. We in the House chamber have a lot more fun with sound effects props, posters, and posters, and we even dress up from time to time to make our point. So I'm a big buy on animal noises. They've got to be cleverly done, and it's fine. There's a way to sort of rig the system so you can get your animal noises coming out through the whole speaker system if you get your microphone right. I'm told that there's a science to getting that just right so that that works properly. So I'm a big buy on that kind of fun and games. I will say if you go back looking for evidence of what happened on the Senate floor, it is likely that the tapes are no longer there, there's gonna be a seven-second gap in the tape. We saw that happen with some judicial interviews not that many years ago. When the Senate Clerk doesn't want something that happened, it never happened.
Michael Pope
Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold on animal noises in the House and Senate chamber.
Alfonso Lopez
I will tell you that when the elephant bill came out this year, there were no elephant noises; actually, there were elephant noises on the floor. However, I will tell you one year, when we had a lions and tigers bill, someone put out Dorothy saying lions and tigers and bears. Oh my. It was quite funny.
Michael Pope
Sarah Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on to animal noises?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am a buy on animal noises in the House. I am a sell on animal noises in the Senate. Animal noises are beneath the dignity of the Senate. That's because I'm afraid of a Madam Clerk. But in the House, you know, animal noises are just another prop. They're a verbal prop; they go along with the signs and the chaos that they bring to their discussions. I would note that in 1997, my first job here in the General Assembly many years ago, there was a bill about banning wolf hybrid dogs in Virginia and on the floor of the Senate. I remember sitting in the gallery, and there was barking and howling and all sorts of things from the Senate. So this may be a new evolution of decorum in the Senate, but I'm a buy on animal noises in the House, and I'm a sell on animal noises in the Senate.
Michael Pope
Alright, that's all we've got for this episode of buy, sell or hold.
Alfonso Lopez
Can I just say that Marcus misses Scott, too?
Michael Pope
I think we all miss Scott Surovell, but thank you, Senator Jeremy McPike, for pinch-hitting and replacing Scott Surovell. Delegate Marcus Simon, thank you for opening up your office with this great view. This is much superior to the view of Delegate Alfonso Lopez from the office. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, thank you for coming on the show. Sarah Taylor, thank you.
