One of the hoary traditions of the House of Delegates involves animal noises. Whenever a bill involving a particular species comes to the floor, there is an undertone of barks, oinks, whinnies, quacks, etc., from various members. It’s one of the juvenile impulses that sets the House apart from the more, um . . . dignified Senate.
During the past session, a series of tax exemption bills came to the floor. One dealt with an exemption for medicines administered to farm animals, with predictable sound effects. The next bill exempted equipment used in the manufacture of computer chips. After it was approved in silence, the Speaker observed, “I guess nobody knows what a semiconductor sounds like.”
What brings this to mind is an item in this week’s U.S. News and World Report. I guess we all missed out because President Bush didn’t start his political career in the House of Delegates. Party on!
What did everyone say when the state salamander bill came up?
Lovely.
I once had a bill that dealt with Fairfax County’s ability to deal with rabid skunks. Thank God no one knew what sound skunks made, so there was a sort of perplexed silence. They all KNEW there was a joke there somewhere, but they weren’t quite quick enough.
And I must say that, at least in the House, the silliness is pretty bipartisan. We spend a lot of time together, and we do seem to put a premium on humor.