Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania.
Inside the Senate chamber of the State Capitol Building, fifty desks were arranged in a semicircle, each holding a nameplate and a thick copy of a bill.
It was a closed-off world.
The protests over Luigi Randall, the arguments over the healthcare bill—all seemed to be shut out by the heavy, carved doors.
Here, time itself seemed to flow more slowly than outside.
The current Acting President of the Senate, Republican Gareth Kaufman, was sitting in the high-backed chair on the dais.
"The current agenda is Bill ST-402."
Kaufman tapped his gavel, his voice languid.
"An amendment regarding the increase of agricultural irrigation subsidies for the corn-growing regions in the western part of the state. The Agriculture Committee has passed its first reading, and we will now proceed to the second."
Most of the senators below were not paying attention.
