"Make money fast" infomercials - the face of pure evil

So I was sitting in the waiting room of a hospital yesterday waiting to be seen for what turned out to be a respiratory infection. And the TV was blaring this idiotic infomercial for the "John Beck Free and Clear" make-money-fast-real-estate-bullshit. Sunday afternoon television programming - you'll find more quality in a pile of shit by the side of the road.

Although I tried desperately to ignore it and focus on the magazine I brought with me, amusing phrases like "You can buy foreclosed properties for just a few hundred dollars!" and "This HAS to be true! We couldn't advertise it in national television if it wasn't!" kept oozing through, not exactly helping my condition.

It made me wonder: who actually falls for these stupid, pathetic get-rick-quick schemes? Sadly, lots of people did for this one. I did a search last night to see who had been duped by this scam and found out right away. Here's a link to a site with hundreds of postings from people who got ripped off. It's mind boggling:

http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/john_beck_free_and_clear/start/0

I feel sorry for anyone who forked over cash to this jackoff, thinking they were going to turn into Bill Gates overnight. But a part of me is still dumbfounded - how can any human being be so gullible? Yes, I know, these are the same types who blow $50 a week on lottery tickets and crow they "won big" if they rake in $100 twice per year. These are the ones who run out to vote Republican, thinking that they'll be protected from terrorists, gays, and liberals who just want to spend their hard-earned tax dollars.

Maybe the tradition of Santa Claus does more harm than good in this country - so many people continue to stubbornly believe they can have something for nothing (or for very little, at any rate) in the face of all evidence to the contrary.