For our last guest speaker of the year, we had the opportunity to hear from Dick Cranwell, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates where he was both the majority and minority whip. In addition, he also served as the chairman of the Democratic party. It was very enjoyable to hear from Cranwell in that he spoke about both everyday legislative procedures, and funny stories from his time in the house. The most important thing he told us to remember from his talk was to not think about issues with a spice rack mentality. He encourages everyone to think about things for what they’re actually worth and to not associate them with being conservative or liberal first. When that happens, you automatically assume the issue is either good or bad depending on which side of the aisle you sit on. This is how people behave in local and national government and it’s the reason resolving issues has become so difficult in government. It’s important to fix this way of thinking so going forward new generations will be able to work…show more content… Cranwell told us that when he first entered the house, individual speakers didn’t have mics. As a result, if you wanted to speak you would have to walk the aisle for an aisle mic. Along with these funny stories, Cranwell continued to mention the importance of the spice rack mentality. When discussing issues like gun control for example, both sides have to be willing to negotiate in order to get everything done. When a bill was introduced to outlaw the sale of assault rifles, which is traditionally labeled as a liberal bill, Cranwell being from Roanoke felt like he had to protect the second amendment. Thus, the two parties worked to make a compromise and they established the first instant record check in the country. This set a standard that many states followed and continue to follow to this
