Salem Psychics in Regulation Kerfluffle

I have run across an article in the Salem News of Salem, Massachusetts which shows that the local authorities may once more have a witch problem to contend with. This time, however, the trouble seems to be in the ranks. Local psychic practitioners are split over how they wish their trade (art? calling?) to be regulated. According to the newspaper, a large group of local psychics has gone before a licensing board to argue about "what the future holds if Salem cracks down on rogue clairvoyants." (Staff writer, Chris Cassidy, goes on to say that, "No clear vision emerged from the meeting," which certainly tells us, if nothing else, that staff writer Chris Cassidy is quite the weisenheimer.)

On one side are those who want tight regulation, such as licensed reader Cynthia Pelletier, who says, "If somebody wanted to open a liquor store just because they felt like it, the city wouldn't let it happen." On the other side are those like local witch, Christian Day (a pagan named Christian??), who states, "They don't restrict the number of pizza parlors!" The Liquor Store Psychics fear untrained and unscrupulous psychics ruining it for the real deal. The Pizza Parlor Psychics decry the stifling of the free market. Truly a difficult dilemma. Who can predict how it will come out? (Well, presumably... oh, nevermind...)

Anyway, the issue has seemingly split the Salem psychic community and led to bitter disputes and recriminations. And anybody who saw "Carrie" or "Firestarter" knows how dangerous these sorts of things can become. So before things get out of hand up there, I hope the Salem authorities can come up with some sort of strategy for dealing with witches and psychics which will protect the non-supernatural citizens. But then, if anybody knows how to keep witches in line...