The November 6 elections for President and Congress - just 11 days away - have one thing in common: They're tight races across the board, and where some incumbents of either party might be expected to have comfortable leads, polling numbers show most key races in statistical dead heats. Analysts now generally agree former front-burner issues - foreign policy, social issues such as abortion rights, and immigration - are quickly moving to the background as most voters this week tell pollsters their priorities in this election are mostly the "personal" economic issues, including jobs, taxes and health care costs.  

The presidential contest has also narrowed based on the same focus on the economy, and as of October 26, 2012, of six national public opinion polls among likely voters, Mitt Romney leads narrowly in five, and is tied with President Obama in the sixth. The Electoral College count - it takes 270 votes to win - shows Romney able to tentatively claim 206 votes, with Obama taking 201, leaving 131 electoral votes in play. In the key presidential election states - Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa and Nevada - Romney and Obama are effectively tied, and the leads enjoyed by Obama in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa are narrowing. In key Senate races in Indiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Massachusetts, Montana and Nevada, almost all are statistical tie races at this point, with leads bouncing weekly and sometimes daily between contenders.  

Even strong incumbents in Ohio and Pennsylvania have seen fairly comfortable margins dwindle in the last 10 days, putting both states' Senate seats in play, and forcing the national parties to dump millions more in TV and radio advertising into those states. In ag states, the inability of Congress to pass a Farm Bill has played a larger role than expected, with Democrats largely able to leverage the lack of omnibus farm legislation to their favor. In the House, a similar dynamic is playing out. According to polling analysts, it appears the House will remain in GOP control, but the majority may shrink by 2-3 seats. In the Senate, election analyst Charlie Cook, National Journal, predicts a 2-4 seat gain by Republicans, while other pollsters see little change in Democrat control of the Senate. If the GOP picks up all four seats, the Republicans will control the Senate by a one-seat margin.

Analysts and political junkies are kicking around two notions in the battle for the White House. The first is that one candidate will win the popular vote, but the other will win the Electoral College vote, an outcome not seen since George W. Bush was elected in 2000. The second notion - intriguing, but unlikely - is the current dead heat between President Obama and Mitt Romney could end in an electoral vote tie. Of the 338 votes in the Electoral College - apportioned based upon state populations - it takes 270 to win the presidency.  

After the November 6 election vote is tallied, the Electoral College meets on December 17 to vote. Only about half of the states, however, legally require their electors to vote based on their state's majority general election tally. So when the new Congress comes in on January 6, 2013, to ratify the Electoral College vote, and if it's tied, the 12th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution kicks in: The House will vote on president; the Senate will vote on vice president. In the House, each state delegation - not each member - gets one vote for president. Right now, the GOP controls 29 state delegations.  

In the Senate, each member gets a vote for vice president. If the Democrats maintain control of the Senate, it's possible in this unlikely scenario Mitt Romney could be elected president and Joe Biden could be reelected vice president. Congress has had to break an electoral tie three times in history - 1800 (Thomas Jefferson), 1824 (John Quincy Adams) and 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes). The last time the U.S. had a president and vice president of different parties was in 1804.

Delivering perhaps his most definite statement on the future of the House Farm Bill, this week House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R, VA) told a Boise, Idaho audience the bill will "certainly" be taken up during the congressional lame duck session in November. The announcement immediately drew praise from Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D, MI). "I'm committed to bring the issue to the floor and then to see a way forward so we can get the votes to pass the Farm Bill," Cantor said, according to an Idaho newspaper.

New Laws for 2012:

• Credit Check
• Pregnancy Disability Leave
• Willful Misclassification of Independent Contractors
• Written Commission Agreement
• Notice of Pay Details
• Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Leave
• Genetic Information
• Gender Expression
• E-Verify
• Interference With Rights Under Leave Laws
• Administrative Penalties
• Wage Penalties
• Farm Labor Contractors - Wage Notices
• Agricultural Labor Relations
• Insurance Non-Discrimination Act
• State Contracts - Gender or Sexual Orientation Discrimination
• Apprentice Programs
• Safe Lifting - Hospitals
• Workers' Compensation 
• DFEH Procedural Regulations

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Encouraging your employees to engage in health and wellness activities isn't just the right thing to do - it makes good business sense. A healthy workforce typically means higher-performing, more satisfied staffers (and lower turnover), fewer absences due to sickness or non-work-related stress, and a favorable reputation as a company that cares about its people.

While you could opt to implement a fee-based wellness program, if your budget is tight, you can also follow these suggestions to promote employee health for little or no cost.

The golden colors of autumn are displayed by the marigold, which makes them the ideal flower for October birthdays. Marigolds have come to be associated with affection.

The History and traditions surrounding the October Birth Flower, the Calendula (Marigold) is fascinating. There are many myths and legends about the origins of this tradition. It is believed that birthday celebrations originated in the Roman Empire and the origins of birth month flowers, such as the Calendula (Marigold),  could be said to date back to these times. During Roman birthday celebrations family and friends offered congratulations and brought gifts. The gifts included gemstone jewelry, such as the Opal, and also flowers - the first traditions and origins of the October Birth Flower.