Buy, Sell, or Hold? With Sarah Taylor, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, and Delegate Marcus Simon
On this week's live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Alexandria City Manager Sarah Taylor to get their takes on a variety of hot topics--from the Petersburg casino to corporate tax cuts to secret recordings and the prospect of a state pony.
Episode Transcript
Michael Pope
On this episode of Pod Virginia.
Michael Pope
It's feelings week, and we're feeling great about our All-Star panel; Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and a friend of the show Assistant City Manager for Alexandria Sarah Taylor. You are listening to Pod Virginia. Stick around.
Michael Pope
Coming to you from room E 223. Of the glamorous Pocahontas building, it's game show your mother warned you about, buy, sell, or hold. So this is how it works. I'm gonna give you a concept. And you're gonna say whether you want to buy it, sell it, or hold it for now. So an example would be the Rihanna halftime show. Clearly, it was a strong buy, right? Or if you didn't like it, maybe you would say sell. Got it? Okay, so this is how we're going to play the game. We're going to start with the concept of having a State pony. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, what are your thoughts on the concept of having a state pony?
Alfonso Lopez
Sell. I mean, there are other things we should be talking about. But also, let's be honest, there are several famous Virginia ponies, and choosing one over the other is, I think, a bad step in the wrong direction.
Michael Pope
Sara Taylor, the concept of having a Virginia State pony?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Strong buy, as a childhood fan of Misty of Chincoteague and her full stormy. Big fan of this; it moves Virginia forward in the right direction; strong buy.
Michael Pope
Marcus Simon, the concept of Virginia having a state pony?
Marcus Simon
I am gonna have to go with Sarah on this one. My good friend Alfonso Lopez had his take, but who doesn't want a pony? I mean, every person who comes to a budget hearing essentially is telling us I want a pony. So I want to say it's a strong buy on the pony.
Michael Pope
Yes, so my next question is closely related; what does the concept of Virginia having a state insect? What is your thought? Alfonso Lopez on the concept of Virginia having a state insect?
Alfonso Lopez
Buy, I think, do we have? Is the bumblebee the State of insect yet? Is that true?
Michael Pope
That's a really good question. I think. Currently, I'm going to look at my Alexandria lobbyist here. Does Virginia currently even have a state insect? I think there was some discussion about maybe creating one, and that never went anywhere. So currently, Virginia does not have a state insect. But they could, right?
Sarah Graham Taylor
They could, but I would say state insect would be a hold. I don't think right now is the time for a state insect. I am still very disappointed that Delegate Nick Rushes legislation to have a state tailgate game, which would have been cornhole, was clearly more important than having a state insect.
Michael Pope
Is there another game other than cornhole for tailgating? Like tailgating require cornhole? Right. I can't imagine any other game other than cornhole. Marcus Simon, the concept of Virginia having a state insect?
Marcus Simon
I'm gonna have to hold and wait to see who it is; it's bringing this; if it's a cute yo school kid, somebody sixth grade General Assembly project, then I'm probably going to buy. But if it's a Delegate who's trying to get a bill passed, because they can't get anything passed, and I'm probably gonna be a sell, so I'm gonna go just say hold. It really depends on who the advocates on behalf of this insect are.
Michael Pope
That is a very thoughtful answer. I like that. All right, the next topic on our list is the concept of bicycles being able to yield at a stop sign rather than coming to a full and complete stop. Delegate Alfonso Lopez buys, sells, or holds.
Alfonso Lopez
I'm gonna say hold. I have yet to hear from the important bicycle lobby. No, no, we have; actually, I would say hold because I think bicyclists should actually obey stop signs and traffic signs.
Michael Pope
Okay, a controversial answer from Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Sara Taylor, home of the most controversial bike city in America, buy, sell or hold on to the concept of cyclists being able to yield at stop signs rather than coming to a full and complete stop?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Strong buy; the Idaho Stop is a proven safety measure. It is endorsed by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. When the State of Idaho implemented it, Cyclist injuries went down 14 and a half percent. When Delaware implemented it, it went down 23%. It is an important thing because it keeps cyclists safer. It keeps cyclists ahead of cars. I would also very much like to learn how to ride a bicycle on Northern Virginia streets and would feel much safer if I was not constantly battling with enormous SUVs, so strong buy on the Idaho Stop.
Michael Pope
Okay, so Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell or hold on to the concept of cyclists yielding as opposed to stopping at those four-way stops in Northern Virginia.
Marcus Simon
Well, I thought I heard you say at first was, was bi-Sickles, and I am a strong buy on Mark Sickles because he has an outstanding Delegate.
Michael Pope
That was not the question. That was not the question.
Marcus Simon
I think that being a big advocate of getting rid of our pretextual stops, which has been a big issue here in Virginia. I wouldn't have to say that rolling through stop signs, whether it's a bike, a car, walking, running, or jogging, every stop signs are there; they are a suggestion, but look around, feel safe, and go. So I'm gonna be a strong buy on the Idaho stop, I guess.
Michael Pope
All right, our next question is really gonna throw you for a loop. So prepare yourself, okay? Data centers, buy, sell or hold?
Alfonso Lopez
Hold, I have real issues with the building of data centers near, I don't know, historic preservation sites or places where we want to preserve. I also know that data centers are a big economic development engine for the Commonwealth. And it's important that we need to grow as being the most tech-savvy and the home of technology on the East Coast.
Michael Pope
Very controversial, lots of local government revenue, though, right? Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on data centers? What if it? What if a data center wanted to show up in Alexandria?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Well, data centers require a large footprint; Alexandria is not known for having lots of land that are available for something like a data center. I am sure we would welcome one if one wanted to come to Alexandria, but it seems unlikely. I'm gonna put it on hold. It might be right for other places but probably not right for the city of Alexandria, but echo the concerns about historic preservation and other issues related to them being cited in parts of the Commonwealth.
Michael Pope
So they are an energy hog, and they also are a stormwater runoff problem. This is why you hear people like Chad Peterson and Danica Roem expressing concerns about data centers, Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on data centers?
Marcus Simon
I am going to go the route of my other two guests here, and the cowardly route has a hold. Because come on, what is a hold, really? So yeah, a little this, little that. I do think that data centers have driven a lot of our clean energy development. Places like Google and Facebook and folks that maintain these data centers have told the utilities, hey, we want our energy to come from green sources. And if you look back at some of those deals, it's driven some of the moves towards solar and wind and other renewables. So I think that if done properly, your data center development can actually help spur green energy and make your renewable sources more economical and more reasonable for the utilities to take on. It can sort of be a catalyst for utilities to look at that issues. But it was the concerns raised. They are valid, too. We can't just write a blank check or say, hey, data centers are everywhere all the time. It's got to be done in a thoughtful way.
Michael Pope
Our next topic is the Petersburg casino, buy, sell, or hold.
Alfonso Lopez
So Class 3 gaming, casino gaming in Virginia, is the future. It was not the future for decades when John Warner and Frank Wolfe were in the Virginia delegation. Actually, we held up the ability of the native tribes of Virginia to actually become recognized federally because there was the thought that this might actually lead to Class 3 gaming in the Commonwealth. Now, I know we're moving in this direction, but the protections that folks like Paul Krizek are putting in place, Delegate Krizek, I think are important. When it comes to economic development, I would say that I don't know if a casino is really the right way to go at all because there are a lot of negatives that come with economic development that happen because people aren't going to leave the casino. When they go to a casino, they're trying to stay in the casino as opposed to going into the downtown area.
Michael Pope
The casino is designed to keep them there. The question which you have not answered yet, Delegate Lopez, is Petersburg casino. Because the next question on my list is Richmond casino, we're not going to get there yet. I'm asking you now about the Petersburg Casino.
Alfonso Lopez
Give them the opportunity to make the decision themselves. So yes,
Michael Pope
Give Petersburg the opportunity?
Alfonso Lopez
Yes, give Petersburg the opportunity to make the decision themselves.
Michael Pope
All right. Sara Taylor, Petersburg casino, buy, sell or hold,
Sarah Graham Taylor
I love local options and local authority and localities being able to do what is right for localities. With the Petersburg casino, I've really just been kind of interested in the fact that the folks who march in to talk about this casino come off as a marketing brochure for a single developer rather than a thoughtful conversation about whether this is the right choice for Petersburg.
Michael Pope
Isn't it also true that the Richmond version of that is the same thing? Like there's a developer like, this is kind of head to head in terms of what you're just saying? Petersburg versus Richmond, right?
Sarah Graham Taylor
That's exactly right. And so that to me is what strikes me as odd, and rather than focusing on the needs and wants of the community, it seems to be sort of head-to-head between two casino developers.
Alfonso Lopez
Let me just piggyback on that. I mean, the labor component of this is actually problematic. The fact that you have one very small union that has a sweetheart deal with the developer in Petersburg.
Michael Pope
The Seafarers, the Seafarers Union is what you're talking about, Delegate.
Alfonso Lopez
I know and love some of the folks in the Seafarers. But the vast majority of other labor unions are not a part of this conversation. They need to be part of it.
Michael Pope
Delegate Marcus Simon, the concept of the Petersburg referendum for a casino buy, sell, or hold?
Marcus Simon
I'm gonna punt because I know how much you and Thomas love chatbot GPT. A chatbot says it's a hold; it says a casino can bring both benefits and drawbacks to a city. Some potential benefits of having a casino include creating jobs, generating tax revenue, and attracting tourists. However, there are also potential drawbacks, such as increased problem gambling, higher crime rates, and negative social impacts.
Alfonso Lopez
This is how he gives his speeches on the floor.
Marcus Simon
It's all chatted by GPT. Though I think I like the Schuyler VanValkenburg model. So it's a hold on this answer. Schuyler put a floor amendment to go from five casinos to four, which means neither Richmond nor Petersburg gets one. And I don't know that we want to get into all of that fight between these two cities. So I'm certain, a definitely strong hold, firmly with no position.
Michael Pope
I think many of our listeners would say moving from five casinos to four casinos is probably the best answer because lots of our listeners think this whole system is set up to take advantage of low-income people who don't understand math, right? Do we need five casinos? I think that's really questionable. The next thing on our list is the use of cyanide in mineral mining, buy, sell, or hold?
Alfonso Lopez
Sell. The environmental concerns about this are legion, and we already have significant problems with polluted runoff and clean water standards not being met in different areas of the Commonwealth. And I have other issues about clean water issues and safe drinking water issues across the Commonwealth that need to be needed to be had been addressed 10, 25, 45 years ago, that we're only now beginning to tackle.
Michael Pope
This is a huge local issue, and Buckingham County, which actually has a reserve of gold, is trying to figure out how they want to deal with it there. Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on preventing the use of cyanide and mining for minerals?
Sarah Graham Taylor
So I literally know nothing about this, but you lost me at using cyanide. So I'm gonna go with sell.
Michael Pope
Yeah, cyanide, I mean, like, that's the whole point. I think that the strategy here for people who do not want gold mining in Buckingham County is cyanide. Just using the word would be so toxic literally that they did not want to, you know, have that. But this effort failed, so you can still use cyanide, apparently in mining for minerals. Marcus Simon buy, sell, or hold on to the use of cyanide and mining for minerals in Virginia.
Marcus Simon
Like Sarah, I hear cyanide, and I think it sell. I'm old enough to remember the whole Tylenol scare, and maybe I'm just, you know, naive, maybe I'm impressionable here with this, but the cyanide campaign works on me, and so I'm going to be a sell on cyanide.
Michael Pope
I remember the Tylenol being poisoned, and everyone was freaking out about the Tylenol killing them, and then they created all these safety caps. Today you cannot open a bottle of Tylenol, and that's because of cyanide from the good old days. All right, so our next topic, corporate tax cuts, buy, sell, or hold, sell?
Alfonso Lopez
Sell, sell. I gotta tell you, the corporate tax cuts are not the way we need to be going; we need to be actually addressing some core fundamental needs across the Commonwealth in terms of education in terms of social safety net. And we have definite uses for the funding that the Governor is attempting to give away.
Michael Pope
All right, so Republicans would say the corporate tax cuts would boost the economy, you'd have more jobs, and the Virginia economy would benefit. Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on to corporate tax cuts?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm gonna go sell. And I will tell you that there is a lot more to making a State business-friendly than a low tax rate. I came here after ten years in the State of Oklahoma, which had an incredibly low corporate tax rate. It also had terrible schools. It also had beat-up roads; it also had teachers walking out to go to the Capitol to demand pay raises. The things that make a state a good place to do business it's a lot more than just what the corporate tax rate is. So I'm gonna go with sell, and look for funding for our schools, for our roads, for our teachers, for transit, transportation, mental health, and all these other things that make a State great.
Michael Pope
Governor Youngkin and the House majority party want $350 million worth of corporate tax cuts; Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on corporate tax cuts?
Marcus Simon
So I am selling corporate tax cuts. If you were to do it, the Governor's proposed corporations would pay lower tax rates; they pay less rent on their profits, then a school teacher, then a fireman, then nurses, then a lot of middle-class people. We have a very flat tax rate, and people get to the highest tax rate in Virginia fairly quickly; you don't have to make a ton of money to be the highest tax rate. And I don't think that Virginians think that middle-class, hardworking people ought to be paying a higher rate of taxes than our corporations, which makes Virginia an attractive place for business. To echo what Sarah was saying, we have a great workforce; we have great schools, we have great services, and people want to locate their companies here. For those reasons, we shouldn't join this race to the bottom by trying to lower our tax rate. And so I'm a big sell on corporate tax cuts.
Alfonso Lopez
And just to piggyback on what they said, we're already a low-tax state. And we're already one of the best states in the country for low unemployment figures. The fact that we need to be doing more of this is, I think, a step in the wrong direction. But also, when we attract businesses, as just as Marcus said, it's because of our infrastructure because of our well-educated population. It's because of our military and our ability to sort of bring together all of these factors to create the workforce that these companies want and need.
Michael Pope
Corporate tax cuts are not really popular in this room, but maybe in some other room. Alright, so we are going to move on to our next topic. Fracked natural gas pipelines, buy, sell or hold? Delegate, Alfonso Lopez.
Alfonso Lopez
Sell, sell, sell. I know there are pipelines across the Commonwealth already, but the fact is that fracking has other negative impacts on the environment. And just because a lot of the fracking is happening in Pennsylvania and other states, it's coming through the Commonwealth. And I think we need to be investing in renewable energy sources, things like wind, solar, hydrokinetic. We could be the leader in those areas, not in something like fracking, which actually, as I said, has untold negative implications.
Michael Pope
Untold negative implications across the Commonwealth, including Alexandria. Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold fracked natural gas pipelines?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I have lived in San Francisco, and the State of Oklahoma, one of those places, did a lot of fracking. It is the place where I experienced more earthquakes than the others. That would be the State of Oklahoma. So I would say that, from the perspective of my day job, you know, this does not seem to be something that is in line with environmental goals for the city. It certainly doesn't seem like it's in line with the goals of expanding our energy opportunities here in the Commonwealth. And like I said, when we moved here, one of the questions my kids asked me was, would they be more or fewer earthquakes in Virginia? I told them less. So I'm gonna go with selling on fracking, related to natural gas pipelines.
Michael Pope
The a strong connection there between earthquakes and natural gas fracking. Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on fracked natural gas pipelines?
Marcus Simon
So I'm gonna go ahead and sell. I think one of them has already gone bankrupt essentially. I think that, in some ways, these are sort of like the C&O canal of our time, right? The infrastructure is very expensive to build and make. And then, by the time you finish it, that technology is obsolete. I think we're moving towards offshore wind and more solar and renewables. I know that there are folks that say, yeah, we need natural gas as a bridge and to be fully renewable. But I don't think these pipelines are the way to do it. They're too expensive, the environmental impacts, the takings that are required, and so the invasion, people's property rights just aren't worth it for something that I don't think is gonna be around for very long. So I'm a sell on the pipelines.
Michael Pope
name dropping the C&O Canal is not going to get you very far in most places. However, the Pod Virginia listenership is going to get that one, so thank you for that one. All right. So our next topic is Chinese farmland. Delegates Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell or hold on Chinese-owned Virginia farmland.
Alfonso Lopez
Sell, but the fact that the Governor is pushing this kind of legislation right now to build himself a quote-unquote foreign policy book of business is obvious and also problematic, especially considering the fact that Smithfield is owned by the Chinese and are a Chinese company. It's sort of obvious what he's trying to do here. And the fact that you know, when we talk about these bills, they include several companies that are on the US Department of Commerce list of countries, but he only ever really talks about China and so not just with the farmland issue, but also with the Tik Tok bill and other places as well.
Michael Pope
You said it's obvious what he's trying to do. I think many people would interpret that as being elected President of the United States or possibly Vice President of the United States. Sarah Taylor. Chinese farmland buy, sell, or hold?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm gonna hold on to Chinese farmland mainly because I just need to know if there are also going to balloon. So I'm gonna hold on to the Chinese farmland until I know more about the weather; there are zeppelins or dirigibles or balloons on said farms.
Michael Pope
If it were Led Zeppelin, that would be totally worth it because Led Zeppelin is the greatest.
Sarah Graham Taylor
That's my son's middle name.
Michael Pope
Is what?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Zeppelin.
Michael Pope
I did not know that. Okay. Was it based on?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Yea,
Michael Pope
Alright, okay, strong buy on that. Marcus Simon, buy, sell, or hold on Chinese-owned farmland in Virginia?
Marcus Simon
Well, if I'm buying the farmland, I'm still confused by the question.
Michael Pope
It's a confusing topic.
Marcus Simon
It's a confusing topic. I'm a hold on this issue. I think that the motives of the Governor here are suspect. I think this is not a huge issue here. Manufacturing the issue to create some headlines is probably more the goal than anything else. That's it; I think taking a comprehensive approach to this and defining foreign adversaries, not necessarily China, is probably a better way to go. And there are some concerns with some of the specifics in the bill. I don't think that Chinese individuals or Chinese nationals should be barred from holding property; there has to be some sort of nexus and some sort of evidence of some sort of hostile activity. So it's problematic; I think it's being rushed through. This is the kind of thing that usually we'd say; we don't want to do this in a short session; we need to take some time to stop and think about what we're doing; it's being rushed through because of the political ambitions of the Governor. So I'm a hold to slow this train down. It's not a huge problem yet. And let's see if we can take a better approach to it.
Alfonso Lopez
This is also a concern for farmers in places like Albemarle and other places in the Shenandoah Valley. So it has been something that's been talked about regionally. That being said, I still think it's nakedly political.
Michael Pope
Nakedly political, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first. Alright, so the next topic on my list is Morning Joe on MSNBC. Full disclosure. I actually watch Morning Joe literally every day of the week. I usually watch the first hour. I have to admit I don't usually watch the fourth hour. But I think if we are going to be watching Morning Joe this week, as a matter of fact, ladies and gentlemen, podcast listeners, if you're listening to this, and it's early Thursday morning, you can still tune in into MSNBC and listen to this guy Delegate Alfonso Lopez who is going to be on Morning, Joe. I think in the nine o'clock hour; I think it's 9:45 or so. Something like that, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Morning Joe buy, seller, or hold?
Alfonso Lopez
Well, hold, I haven't been on it yet. But buy because they're giving a platform for us to talk about our Gun Safe Storage bill. And the ability and the fact that it's passed the House and passed the Senate and going to the Governor for his, hopefully, his signature, so I'm excited.
Michael Pope
Okay, guns safe storage. So you could think about this as being a gun issue. You could also think about this as being a media issue. I'll just open it up to Sara Taylor. What do you think about Morning Joe? Do you watch it, and what do you think about the Delegate Lopez bill on providing tax credits for people who have gun safes?
Sarah Graham Taylor
Morning Joe is a buy for me. Mika Brzezinski was a local news reporter in Connecticut when I was growing up. I remember her very fondly as a kid. So she's a watch for me, not perhaps every day, but certainly when Delegate Alfonso Lopez is going to be on, although I now realize that the TV in my apartment here in Richmond doesn't get MSNBC, so I will have to get my Direct TV stream out. But that being said, I really think this is a good bill. And I know that some have concerns that this gives Republicans top cover to say that they voted for a gun safety bill. But sometimes a good bill is a good bill, and a market-based solution to encourage people to purchase and hopefully utilize gun safes is not a bad thing. And so excited to see it passing, hopeful that it will be funded in the budget, then that the Governor will sign it, and really pleased to see this. It's something that's in the city's package. It's something that was close to me personally, as a gun owner with small children who has it gotten safe. And so appreciate the Delegate for bringing this forward and for making good policy and not letting get stuck in politics.
Alfonso Lopez
I cannot thank Sarah enough for her expertise and guidance for the last several months on this process and for working to reach out to activists and advocates and giving sage advice through every step of the process. But I will tell you, with all of the gun shootings that are happening and school shootings happening all around the country. I find it very common that I have to say this little prayer every morning when I drop my five-year-old off at school and my 15 years off at school because God forbid something happened with them. And so this was a no-brainer to put in. And the folks who say, oh, we're giving cover to someone because now they can say they voted for a gun bill. The fact is that we've had to try to do something. And this approach is at least a significant step forward. And if it saves just one child's life, they don't harm themselves or someone else. Or if a suicidal teenager doesn't harm themselves, then it's worth it.
Michael Pope
All right, so Delegate Marcus Simon, buy, sell or hold on MSNBC Morning Joe?
Marcus Simon
So yeah, there's puts me in mind a quote, which they say I would refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. So any show that would have Alfonso Lopez on as a guest has got to be a sell. I mean, it clearly lowered their standard. No, I would actually I would buy Mika; I would hold Willie Geist. He said I'm gonna sell on Joe Scarborough because he's still a Republican as far as I'm concerned. I do think it's great that they're highlighting this piece of legislation here. I had a bill in to require gun safes. But I think what Alfonso has done is he found a way to ask Republicans, what do you love more? Your guns are your tax credits, right? And in some ways, it's actually both right; hey, I get a tax credit for something from my gun. But the end result is that it makes Virginia a safer place for gun owners for kids and for people that send their kids to play at houses where there may or may not be guns present. So at the end of the day, regardless of who tries to make that political hay out of it, I'm a big buy on this on this bill and this concept, and I think it's I'm glad that it's happening in Virginia.
Michael Pope
Strong by on watching delegate Alfonso Lopez later this Morning on Morning Joe, which will air around 9:40-9:45 or so. If you're listening to this later, then maybe you can watch it on demand on YouTube. So we're gonna move on to our next topic, decriminalizing psilocybin magic mushrooms Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell, or hold?
Alfonso Lopez
I would hold because the legislation that Senator Hashmi had has not passed. But her bill is not about decrying; mineralizing. It's simply about studying. And so, you know, I think we far too often refused even study certain things in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which I think moves us in the wrong direction. And so I'm holding on to this.
Michael Pope
All right, Delegate Lopez, is a hold on decriminalizing magic mushrooms, Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on? Decriminalizing psilocybin,
Sarah Graham Taylor
I am also going to chicken out and say, hold on, but I think it's for the same reason that we all kind of clutched our pearls on cyanide. I think it's because it has such a stigma attached to it, the idea of taking magic mushrooms and tripping out and, you know, and the hippie-dippie nonsense that goes along with sort of that piece of it. Whether we're talking about decriminalization for recreational purposes or we're talking about the idea of utilizing it as a medicine for people for whom it would be valuable. I think the hold is to have thoughtful conversations. This is not something you can do in a short session. This is not something that you can get done in 45 days is something that needs education and socialization and conversation, and bringing the stakeholders to the table to really have a conversation. I mean, we have barely gotten to decriminalizing and getting marijuana in Virginia. I think, for now, magic mushrooms is a bridge too far.
Michael Pope
You say not something that can be done in a short session. And you're probably right. However, there was a discussion about this last year, and I was shocked that Republican Senate Leader Tommy Norment came out in favor of magic mushrooms for the PTSD, veteran, and war vets suffering; Marcus Simon buy, sell or hold on psilocybin?
Marcus Simon
So I wouldn't be a buy on legalization. I think it's a little different than decrypt. I think the lesson I've learned over the last few years is that decrime is problematic. And I think we're continuing to see the problems of not really having a retail marketplace for adult recreational use of marijuana. And we're trying to now pick off some of the problems that are caused by we're dealing with just the hemp issues and the Delta 8 and things like that. So I am for legalizing it, regulating it, creating standards, quality standards, and figuring out what the appropriate uses are. But I'm becoming weary of decrime and figure it out later types of approaches to these things. And so maybe that gives me a hold. But I will go with buy on it. I think that the other thing is, we have a lot of bigger issues, I think to worry about. I think fentanyl and a lot of these other synthetic opioids and things that are manufactured chemically created to be really intense are more harmful than naturally occurring things. I mean, magic mushrooms have existed for centuries and have a big place in native cultures and other things. And so I think we ought to be legalizing it; we got to do it in a thoughtful way. And the short session thing, by the way, we only have short sessions, right?
Michael Pope
They're all short.
Marcus Simon
This is the 45-day session, which is a little make sure that our 60-day session. I mean, there are 101 reasons to kill any bill that we don't have enough time; we might run out of time if something is always available. So I'm gonna say buy, but legalize.
Michael Pope
Buy but legalize. Okay, well, so we're gonna move on to our next topic, which is secretly recording committee chairman, Delegate Alfonso Lopez; what's your thought on that?
Alfonso Lopez
What happened?
Michael Pope
Yes. So as someone who sometimes surreptitiously records people who I'm talking to, actually, I have a landline in my office, my home office. And the reason I have a landline is so that I can record telephone conversations, most of which I tell people that I'm sometimes recording, but I don't tell people that I'm recording. It's legal in Virginia to be a one-party state where only one party of the conversation needs to know that it's being recorded for it to be legal. And so I think if you're a member of the House of Delegates, and you record a conversation with a chairman of a committee that you're unhappy with, that's totally legal. There's nothing illegal about this. But it might not necessarily be something that is received well among many of the colleagues of the House of Delegates. Delegate Alfonso Lopez, buy, sell or hold on. Surreptitiously recording a chairman of a committee?
Alfonso Lopez
Sell. That's simply not done. You don't do that; we're supposed to be working together to accomplish things and finding common ground on legislation that will help all of us move the Commonwealth forward. I don't know how that happened or who did it. This is not something that I would do. And I just not something I think that the members of the General Assembly should do.
Michael Pope
Well, surreptitiously recording anybody talking to you is probably not a good idea. It's only done in very rare circumstances. I will say, in my own personal experience, I did record a certain State Senator who called me up in the middle of the night, and she was drunk as a loon. And it was the night of the Biden inauguration, and that's a different story that was for probably a different podcast. Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on surreptitiously recording a chairman that you don't agree with?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm gonna go with hold. Because I think, no, I'm kidding. Absolutely sell. That is not how we do business here; you only have two things in this, at least from my perspective, as an as a lobbyist. As a, you know, somebody who's here trying to do things on behalf of the locality that I represent. I only have two things in this in this building. It's my reputation. It's my business card. And if I blow my reputation, I might as well throw away my business cards. Plus, Chairman of CC&T Keith Hodges scares me. So I would never surreptitiously record him under any circumstances.
Alfonso Lopez
I mean, he's a great guy when it comes to talking about clean water issues and safe drinking water issues. He's very in the weeds. He's a, I don't know, he shouldn't scare anybody. He's a good guy. He's a classmate of mine, too.
Michael Pope
I think there's a part of the story that I find really interesting as someone who often recorded audio is that this particular member of the General Assembly chose to record a video. And she just like set the video recorder in a way that, like, just recorded the ceiling or something. And so there's a way to do just an audio recording on voice memos that would take up way less bandwidth on your phone. And that would have been the better way to have recorded, surreptitiously recorded, the audio of the chairman that you don't like. Marcus Simon, the idea of surreptitiously recording anybody buy, sell or hold?
Marcus Simon
So I'm gonna sell on that. If you know me, and you've seen me down here, I am much more confrontational than that; I won't do anything surreptitiously. I will come and tell you. I'll bring the camera and the crew, and I'll confront you that way. And I think you'll look; everybody needs to be able to have the space to have on-the-record and off-the-record conversations. And it's only fair that everybody knows the difference, right? And when you and I are talking, if you want to talk in the background, we will have that conversation, and the recorder will go off. And if we're on the record, you'll let me know. And we'll do that. And I think we owe at least that kind of courtesy to each other as well. And so I'm a sell on that. I get if you wanna have a confrontation, have it out in the open, and lay all your cards on the table. If you want me to be transparent with you, you need to be transparent about what your intentions are with them as well. And so I think that's the only way to do it.
Michael Pope
Yeah, generally speaking, surreptitiously recording audio of anybody is really a bad idea. So do it sparingly. All right, one final question for our panel, Pod Virginia, buy, sell or hold? Delegate Alfonso Lopez.
Alfonso Lopez
I gotta sell this. I've had issues with Michael and Tom for years. And so no, no, I, you guys are the biggest buy. I told you this early on. This is a brilliant idea of what you guys are doing; you guys are a service for the Commonwealth. And you bring politics and policy to folks in a way that is accessible and interesting. And that should be lauded from the rooftops. So thank you for what you're doing. And keep it up. Keep it up for another several years. And further, like I want to see you on your 80th birthday, and you're still doing this.
Michael Pope
Fan of the podcast. Alfonso Lopez. Sara Taylor, buy, sell, or hold on Pod Virginia?
Sarah Graham Taylor
I'm gonna sell it because I miss the name Transition Virginia.
Michael Pope
Ohhhh.
Sarah Graham Taylor
But there is nothing that gives me more anxiety or makes me more uncomfortable than when someone says oh, I heard you on Pod Virginia. That makes me very nervous. I always wonder what I said. But no, I enjoy the pod as one of the early people who got wrangled into this, really not knowing what I was getting myself into. But really enjoyed having an opportunity to talk about things with you all. The way you present it, the folks that you bring to you know to the pod, I think are really thoughtful voices that, whether you're inside baseball, or trying to learn from the outside, really think give people access to. What we do here, how we do it, that it's serious, but a lot of times, you know, we try not to take ourselves too seriously and so appreciate you bringing that piece to it. But yes, I miss Transition Virginia.
Michael Pope
Well, you nailed it there in your description of our podcast; thank you so much. Marcus Simon buy, sell, or hold on to your favorite podcast Pod Virginia?
Marcus Simon
Oh my god, I'm gonna throw up; I can't believe all this sucking up this out of here; this show stinks!. Terrible podcast! I only listened when I was on. Or when somebody emails me or texts me to tell me that I was mentioned, that's the only time it's ever worth listening to. This is the worst podcast ever. They get the facts wrong all the time. Terrible guest and bad at math. So no, I'm a hard sell. I use my Groucho Marx quote too soon, right any club would have me as a member; any podcast I would have me as a guest is not worth listening to.
Michael Pope
I think for the record. That's a Will Rogers quote that was later used by other people. This is a Will Rogers quote, the thing about being a member of the Democratic Party.
Alfonso Lopez
Will Rogers said that I'm not a member of a political party. I'm a Democrat. Or I mean, I'm not a member of an organized party. I'm a Democrat.
Marcus Simon
And this is why everybody hates this freaking podcast. Who cares? Oh, no, I got it. Exactly. Right. Let me look at the footnote from my book about the Bryd Machine. Nobody cares.
