God bless Scamerica!

The new route to success in America is to be a scam artist. If you're successful enough at a fraud, you're likely to get rich since American producers seem to be especially enthusiastic about frauds, charlatans and snake-oil salesmen. Religion seems to hold the top place in the sucker trade. How many shows are on the tv featuring a man or woman who rants and raves about what god wants and how you're going to hell unless you provide it. Despite being an atheist, I don't doubt that there are sincere believers throughout America, but they are not the send-me-your-money creeps you find on these programs. Jim Bakker proved that. Religious books are another major scam. The winner in recent years is, of course, Heaven is for Real. I glanced at it in a book store just yesterday and had a revelation. In the section I read, Reverend (hah!) Burpo was wondering how he could pay his high medical bills. Obviously he found the solution: a fake tourist guide to heaven by his malleable 4-year-old. Now I am sure he is rolling in money and feels no shame at all for his scam. In fact, he's thrilled—they're making his fantasy book into a movie. The most recent religious scam is somewhere in Texas (where else?) where another preacher-man has gotten these three hot babes to join him in performing fake exorcisms. Now in the old days grifters like him would have been run out of town. But not today; He's getting a reality show. Of course, some American men won't know whether they're tuning in for the fake exorcisms or the sexy redhead. But aside from religion, they are weight frauds, elixir frauds, muscle frauds, and frauds to improve your memory, cure your addition,and make you more popular. And while honest people work hard, pay their bills and tell the truth, these money-grubbing liars are getting rich. It kind makes you wonder.