Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Captain's Blog ... Stardate 4.4.17
Planet Earth ... Blowing things up



Protesting - Going Nuclear

We have been adrift in physical reality way too long. The crew grows restless and longs for home. Everything is broken making them feel out of control. There have been protests by covert factions. I dream of mutiny in end times. Who will secure their place in history and at what cost? "Going nuclear" ... going ballistic ... it never ends well.

This week many of us are learning a new expression Nuclear Option or constitutional option which is a parliamentary procedure that allows the U.S. Senate to override a rule or precedent by a simple majority of 51 votes, instead of by a supermajority of 60 votes. The option is invoked by the presiding officer of the United States Senate ruling that the validity of a Senate rule or precedent is a constitutional question. The issue is immediately put to the full Senate, which decides by majority vote. The procedure thus allows the Senate to decide any issue by majority vote, regardless of existing procedural rules, such as current Senate rules specifying that ending a filibuster requires the consent of 60 senators (out of 100) for legislation, and 67 for amending a Senate rule. The term "nuclear option" is an analogy to nuclear weapons being the most extreme option in warfare.

Here are 9 steps the Senate may take to 'go nuclear' and approve Gorsuch   USA Today - April 4, 2017

  Why Democrats aren't worried about the 'nuclear option'   CNN - April 4, 2017

McConnell bets the Senate on Gorsuch   Politico - April 4, 2017
The Republican leader's Supreme Court gambit secures his place in history - but at what cost to the Senate?


In other news ...

Hours after President Trump told NBC News that he was serious about reaching a deal on health care with members of his party, Pence on Monday night headed to the Capitol armed with a compromise proposal for the House conservatives who had helped doom the previous GOP bill. The head of the conservative Freedom Caucus called the administration's new measure for compromise "a solid idea."




April 4, 2017


Equal Pay Day

Raising awareness of the gender pay gap

I've never had a job where I made less than a man. As a teacher the pay scale is dictated by the Board of Education in a particular state and based on experience. As a psychic and therapist I create my own rates, not competing with anybody, but based on experience and education. I generally don't compare notes with other psychics. When it's time to raise rates, clients start giving me large tips which is my indicator for a small increase. My fee has generally been based on the economy at the time. For now I am comfortable with my current fee. On occasion I will refund someone after we start to talk and see that they are unstable, like a recent client who told me he was Jesus and wanted me to confirm his destiny. 99.9% of my clients are amazing as we share a special experience.