Democrats need only seven seats to take control of the House, making each contest crucial. The other states with hotly contested races are Arkansas, California, where two seats enter the flap, Florida, where George Bush’s brother is expected to swing the vote, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, and Washington.

There are 435 congressional seats of which 223 Republicans hold. Democrats hold 210. Independents eked away two seats. Some pundits assess that as many as 40 seats could change hands next November. At stake is the right to set the House agenda in a presidential election year, to appoint powerful committee chairmen, and to lord over any or defeat tax cuts and credits while a new presidential administration unfolds.

Rep. Hoeffel faces savvy Republican state Senator Stuart Greenleaf in his race for another two-year term in a district where about 90 percent of the population is Caucasian, six percent African American, two percent Asian, and one percent Hispanic. Median household income is $44,764 and the median house value is $147,500. Merck, Unisys, and Bryn Mawr Hospital are the major employers.

Fueling these races are two factors rising above the usual election year fog: drugs and money. For the first time since 1994, when Newt Gingrich’s now-failed Second American Revolution sunk its rabid teeth into us (You remember: Gingrich preached morality to everyone else while cutting a $4 million book deal and then secretly conducting his own extramarital affair, although last week he did finally marry her. What a guy!) Democrats have more money than Republicans. They have about $15 million more to spend. That’s about $1 million in media buys in each of the 12 hot districts. No wonder major networks can do any serious reporting on campaign finance reform. We guess General Electric and the other corporate owners of television networks wouldn’t like to see them preside over such a loss of revenue.

Ok, that’s the money part. Here’s where the drugs fit into the mix. Elderly Americans want better prescription drug coverage. And they vote in large numbers in many of the 12 states holding the fate of the next congress in its political grip.

As an added bonus, CAT is giving every patron who can reach a bus on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 12 and 13, free transport. Mark it on your calendar.

For the last quarter (April 1 to June 30) reported to the State Ethics Commission, the agency of government to whom lobbyists must make reports under the state’s law, 1,643 individuals spent $17,137,512. That’s $188,324.30 a day for each of the 91 days on the calendar for that period of time.

A breakdown reveals that lobbyists spent $10.8 million on personnel and office expenses; $3.9 million on "direct communication" which means face time with state officials an their staffs. What could they have been doing?

Another $2 million was spent on "indirect communication" which means brochures, mass mailings, advertisements, and staffing telephone banks. For gifts, lodging, transportation, and other forms of hospitality, lobbyists spent almost $311,000.

As originally passed last year, Pennsylvania’s lobbying disclosure law was challenged in Commonwealth Court where lobbyists won by a 4-3 decision. Again under appeal with the State Supreme Court, the law stays in effect until a final decision is made.

Initially, the board passed a dress code about one month before last year’s school calendar ran out, prompting parents to complain of the needless expense so late in an academic year. It was parents who first complained about the "sloppy" clothes worn by some students. And then the fun started. First a task force was set up (so onlookers knew any resolution was doomed). The original dress code, a one-size-fits-all scheme, was soundly trashed and buried by the group. Instead, an age-sensitive code is in the works. For example, first through fourth graders will be able to wear shorts and shorts "appropriate to their age" while some of that same clothing will be off limits to older students. We smell an Alan Dershowitz moment.

Then came the "D" word: "You could dialog this to death," uttered Rippman. As the discussion evolves, the real differences emerge. Rippman admits that no matter what code the board approves, some parents (surprised?) won’t like the details. Firm in his resolve, he pledges to enforce the code "regardless of arguments over such issues as what exactly constitutes spaghetti straps". Amen.

Ended in 1973 in response to the nation’s feelings about the Viet Nam War, then-president Jimmy Carter reinstated the draft in 1980 when the then-Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

Boomer guys remember draft boards as older white guys sending younger men, many men of color and poorer white men, off to Southeast Asia. In contrast, Samuel C. Snyder, current draft board chairman, says he’s "trying to get some diversity on our board here." Congress amended the draft system in 1971 to require local boards to reflect their communities. However, in York County the board has always been comprised of all white males age 50 or older. "It is supposed to be a make-up that reflects what your area is," Snyder points out.