Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
Posted on 04/27/2007 9:15:59 AM PDT by kellynla
Philadelphia's fortune-tellers didn't see it coming. Suddenly they're facing a very unhappy future.
Alerted to an obscure state law banning fortune-telling "for gain or lucre," the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections is closing storefront psychics, astrologers, phrenologists and tarot-card readers who charge money for their services.
Inspectors had closed 16 shops since Tuesday, Deputy L&I Commissioner Dominic E. Verdi said yesterday.
"We were not aware it was a crime," he said, "but the Police Department came to us a few days ago and showed us where the crime code prohibits psychic readings.
"We looked into it, and it's clearly illegal. I was surprised."
Fortune-telling for profit is a third-degree misdemeanor. The law has been on the books for more than 30 years.
Verdi said that he did not know how many shops operated in the city, but that he expected inspectors to close more in the days ahead.
Inspectors are not imposing fines, and police are not making arrests, Verdi said, "but they will if these people try to return to work."
Most so-called psychics, he said, "are not little old ladies with kerchiefs on their heads" but clever con artists capable of stealing large sums - even life savings - from grieving or otherwise vulnerable people.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Did you hear that there’s gonna be a Psychic Convention in town?.....They didn’t publish the time or place............
If their goal is to rid the area of con artists working out in the open, they should make a trip to the State House when it is in session.
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
But if proprietors are making verifiable claims and not delivering on the agreed terms of service, then yes, they should be sued by wronged clients, and forced by the government to abide by any civil court rulings, as per all other agreements pertaining to contract law (up to and including forfeiture of property if necessary to obtain monetary compensation). Should they be shut down by the government? No. If particular circumstances warrant it, they should be investigated to obtain formal evidence of coercion; under this condition, criminal and civil charges are appropriate.
Liberty is good, everyone should try it some time.
Sure. Just take theft off the books. Voila'. No more thieves.
That's like saying a Ponzi scheme is no more than a somewhat risky investment. You got a lot to learn, boy.
I knew that would eventually cause a problem.
Your last two posts compared apples and oranges - showing how little you actually know - and don’t call me boy.
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