Rush Limbaugh and Amway's Richard Devos: The Hypocracy of Professional Sports Team Ownership

Controversial radio talk show host and entertainer Rush Limbaugh should consider becoming the owner of an NBA team now that his name has been removed from a list of investors seeking to buy a National Football league franchise, the St. Louis Rams. Obviously the National Basketball Association would be a better fit for Limbaugh since they obviously do not set very high standards for membership in their club for which I will explain. Consider the Orlando Magic owner, Richard Devos.

Devos and the late Jay Van Andel are the cult initiators of the 'American Way,' now known collectively as 'Amway.' For half a century, 'Amway,' has operated a monopolistic 'closed market swindle' while 'preying' on their own children, the prosperity believing cult adherents in what amounts to a form of 'advanced fee fraud' very similar in nature of one operated by Jim and Tammy Bakker. These 'true believers' now make up what British born author and guide to the Amway Labyrinth David Brear describes as 'the financial holocaust' having been flim-flammed into what pyramid scheme expert Robert Fitzpatrick calls the 'American Scam'.

In a recent blog post on Quixtar Cult Intervention, Brear details how the present Amway world cult evolved from an earlier 'snake-oil' 'Nutrilite' vitamin swindle started by the late Carl Rehnborg and his business partners Mytinger and Casselberry. Devos and Van Andel co-opted Mytinger, Casselberry and Rehnborg's questionable 'Multilevel Marketing Strategy' and have once again made Nutrilite 'Double X' snake oil supplement the flagship product of their assault on the wallets of 'Independent Business Owners' who, in the end, are generally left holding the 'trick bag' once Devos, Van Andel and the Amway 'Kingpins' make off with their cash. Brear rightly describes the 'Double X' vitamins as a 'Double Cross' on those folish enough to believe the Amway 'reality inverting' 'land of will' myths. Cult adherents (IBOs) purchase these 'snake oil-like' tablets at an extortionately high price in the 'pay to play' Amway game of greed. Rehnborg's 'soups' formulated into compressed tablets had once been occulted to be a cure all for nearly all of man's ills and have always been offered up in classic 'huckster' fashion. Rehnborg, Mytinger and Casselberry have since disappeared from their 'confidence game,' but the game they invented continues now under the Devos, Van Andel 'Amway' Banner. In a past blog post, I described how 'Nutrilite' fathered Devos and Van Andel's 'American Way.'

Rush Limbaugh and Rich Devos are remarkably similar personages, both wealthy supporters of conservative right wing Republican ideologies and candidates they believe support their pro-big business conservative view of the world. Rich Devos heads up the Amway cult adherents, while Limbaugh heads up his drone like 'ditto-heads.' Both groups are bombarded with 'mind numbing' 'reality inverting' rhetoric. Many of Limbaugh's group purchase the Limbaugh Letter, while the Amway group is extolled on the virtue of purchasing their rhetoric in the form of 'tools' from the Amway 'Kingpins' who operate a secondary 'closed market swindle' known as the 'tool and function' business.

Significanly enough, both Devos and Limbaugh have criminal histories. Devos was involved in the defrauding of the Canadian government in a import tax evasion case for which Devos and the late Jay Van Andel agreed to pay Canada 25 million dollars to avoid spending time in Canadian jail cells. Limbaugh, an admitted oxycodone pain pill addict was involved in his own 'doctor shopping' scandal and agreed to a plea agreement to keep himself out of a jail cell as well.

Both Devos and Limbaugh can be described as controversial fellows whose right leaning rhetoric borders on the psychotic. Devos espouses a narrow 'dominionistic' view of the world and is an avowed homosexual hater. Limbaugh spews a rabid hatred of anything 'Democrat' and brands anyone supportive of the Democratic platform as a 'liberal kooks.' Devos loves to paint his Amway Scam as 'big business' and uses this as cover for his unjust enrichment. Limbaugh not surprisingly is also a supporter of big business and detests any move by the present administration towards effecting any type of social change like health care reform. Limbaugh has also been known to make what many people considered controversial statements against African Americans.

Devos's Amway, much like Bernie Madoff's former 'investment business' is always represented as 'legitimate business' although it actually is a Ponzi-like scheme which has miraculously been allowed to continue long after the truth of this affair has been revealed to the mainstream population. Devos has managed to keep Amway alive through a half century of scandal by carefully protecting his self interests with cash suckered from those foolish enough to believe in the swindle that began with Rehnborg. Political contributions and support of key Republican politicians, many of which have since been involved in their own scandals, have helped keep Amway operating and off of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission regulator's hit list of scam companies.

I, therefore, to be fair, propose that Rush Limbaugh (a veritable Saint compared to Rich Devos) be allowed to become the owner of whatever professional sports team that comes onto the market to include even Devos's NBA Orlando Magic. The good people of Orlando and NBA fans everywhere deserve better than a known 'criminogenic' swindler owning a team that nearly won the NBA championship last season. Although I am not a big fan of 'entertainer' Limbaugh, I believe his money came to him honestly, not the result of an enormous swindle, and he should indeed be allowed to buy into the NBA owners club!

Amway Global's Fast Track Swindle

Amway Global is now advancing a new strategy to supposedly help brand new distributors--clueless marks--to become profitable faster. (yeah, sure?) They have named this new strategy Fast Track but it would be more appropriately named Fast Scam or Fast Swindle.

Supposedly, advancement in this, the newest wrinkle in the 'closed market swindle' requires the new, very impressionable IBO--over a three month period of time--to self consume at least 300 PV worth of Amway's monopoly priced goods, and then retail another 150 PV worth to non-IBOs retail customers. Additionally, the IBO must recruit, not one, not two, but three other IBOs--er suckers--like himself who also want to join in this 'fast track' prosperity dream and also buy and sell all the Amway required extortionately priced products. Should this fast track IBO achieve all the stated goals, having jumped through each and every hoop, then Amway provides him with a $200 bonus check. The IBO has been swindled, as well as helped swindle at the least three other people in the process--not to mention those that are potentially swindled by any of the three recruits. Instead of being on the glorious Amway Fast Track to profitability--my God what a scam--the new IBO joins the ranks of the taken and most likely is too bamboozled to even realize it. The Fast Track, therefore is not the reality inverting myth presented by Amway towards making an IBO profitable sooner--but is indeed a fast ride (like on the traveling sales crew van) into an utter swindle, a form of chain reaction scam, where AmScam Fast Tracks their own take--all from the taken.

Now, let's examine exactly how this works out to be a swindle by doing some simple math.

Amway, at the end of the 3 month period receives: 150 PV X 4 X 3 = 1800 PV. Since 100 PV represents about $300 in actual purchases, Amway then records sales of $5,400* minimum from all participants joining in this Fast Track swindle. The Fast Track IBO supposedly purchases for self consumption, $900 worth of goods and then supposedly sells another $450 worth of goods to others. In addition to this the IBO must recruit and make certain that each of his three recruits also buy and sell a similar percentage of products. The original fast track IBO has over the three month period purchased with most being for self consumption $1,350 in over-priced goods and receives a very small stipend-like commission on the $1,800 worth of goods his three recruits buy (are swindled out of). The IBO will receive a check for about $90- $150 on his own 'fast track' purchases which includes what amounts to a rebate on his personal consumption netting Amway sales of $1,350 for goods that are generally for their distributor's self consumption, never to be resold again.

Looking at how this all works out for the original fast track IBO believer:

This IBO must recruit (at expense) three other people, all who must 'miraculously' join into the fast track prosperity dream scheme, achieve the exact same goal of buying 300 PV and selling an additional 150 PV to retail customers. This is all mostly an impossible task which, in the end, works out quite well from Amway's end of the take. What really does this new IBO actually get and how can this ever really be profitable: $900 dollars of monopoly priced products (which according to pricing calculations could have been bought at a potential savings of at least 33% simply by buying a similar product at a discount brick and mortar retailer). Therefore, the IBO loses about $445.50 in purchasing power right from the beginning--if indeed not more based on Amway's monopoly priced wares! The IBO will receive a stipend-type checks for somewhere between $90 and $150 total for the three month period (save for a potential carrot on a stick bonus of $200). So the potential IBO loss now stands at $445 minus scrawny check from Amway of between $90 and $150 resulting in a gross loss of anywhere from $355 to $295. He then miraculously achieves his fast track status and gets a $200 bonus check from Amway. So, he is still in the hole to the tune of anywhere between $100 and $150--this after grasping the AmScam golden ring--Now for the rest of the math problem. You dear reader must do the math on this one.

The fast track IBO has not accounted for all his/ her operating expenses; all the overhead, gasoline, motel stays, insurance, and hourly time spent. Notice, these out of pocket expenses do not include the monopoly priced MLM propaganda tools which are pushed like dope on all newbies in the Tool Scam. Tools are mostly useless tapes and literature heading up the business cult official playbooks of deceit. Notice that out of pocket attendance at Amway quarterly rallies as well as various other seminars are pushed all by the kingpins...

...a secondary swindle which supports the original Devos-Van Andel closed market swindle.

Conclusion, no matter how you do the math, all these folks believing in the Amway dream--those who don't reenter reality--lose money--usually in the tens of thousands and will continue to lose money throughout their relationship with the Amway closed market swindle unless they personally manage to convince enough others that Amway is not a swindle, something only a small percentage (in the thousandths of one percent) actually manage to do. Sadly, Amway tries to convince every one that they can be that 1 in a 1000. Do the math yourself. Amway seeks to cloak their scheme in mind numbing jargon, all designed to make fools out of their prospective victims.

The fast track to Amway profits is merely a pipe dream Amway has carefully devised to expand their own bottom line, all at the expense of every Amway believer who willingly flush their own money down Amway's loo in this newest wrinkle in AmScam fraud. All the figures work out in Amway's favor, while they conveniently pass all overhead expense onto their new independents, who must pony up their money to cover Amway's legitimate marketing costs. Significantly enough, new Amway promotions are usually headed up by the Amway kingpins (tool sellers), and their business cult downline followers who head up new swindles--like last years Perfect Water Scam. Oh how glorious!

The Federal Trade Commission should indeed do the math as well. It doesn't take one long with a piece of scrap paper and a pencil to do the math here friends. I am sure that with the advanced computing power of our government, a simple calculator, they might see what kind of fraud Amway's Fast Track swindle really is. Significantly enough, most people taken in advance fee swindles usually drop out of the swindle long before there is any conceivable chance they will be that 1 in 10,000 swindler who actually can in any significant way enjoy the tool scammers take. Only the DeVos and VanAndel Crime families and the 'top of the pyramid' kingpin distributors achieve this pie in the sky glory. To everyone else, good luck, you defiantly need it!

END

(*) Amway's take in total sales--if all distributors are successful) may actually be larger since the fast track IBO and the three he personally recruited will go about trying to pull more victims into the swindle as well thus adding to the total Amway sales take. (Exactly how long it might take a successful Fast Track IBO to receive a $200 check could potentially take some time, as fulfillment by all recruited participant requirements may require additional time to verify. All recruited IBOs significantly must qualify; while the likelihood of this actually happening being rather long, thus allowing Amway to keep their $200 carrot.

Amway Global Cult Followers Taught To Act Like Unwise Monkeys and Reject “Evil” Truths About Their Amway Opportunity!

The above picture was taken from a scene in the Planet of the Apes movie know as “The Simeon Court.” The “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil” was actually done as a gag during the filming of the movie and was left in during the final cut. Another picture of the “Wise Monkeys” has been in the right side bar since I started this blog. It is representative of what Amway Global distributors (IBOs) are taught by their upline and the tool propaganda they expose themselves to on a regular basis.

1. SEE NO EVIL.

Distributors are taught to put blinders on, to not see anything that goes counter to the dream inspired opportunity they have been instructed to believe in by their Amway recruiter. Many people might recall the disreputable Quixtar recruiter Greg Fredericks on secret camera in the 2004 Dateline news expose on Quixtar corruption where he instructs his new recruits (one of which is a Dateline undercover reporter) with the following classic example of what this “see no evil” cult instruction is all about: “So I don't put anything into my head that's going to cause me to be thinking outside my positive role.” The Dateline story goes on to explain that this means “no TV, no reading newspapers” and by way of extrapolation I add: no Internet, and especially no critical blogs like Quixtar Cult Intervention, Pyramid Scheme Alert, or Quixtar The Dream or the Scheme.

2. HEAR NO EVIL.

Distributors are taught to turn a deaf ear to family, friends, co-workers or anyone who upon hearing about Quixtar/Amway say things like “scam, pyramid scheme, rip-off” and similar discouraging opinions. Indeed, distributors are encouraged to shun further contact with people expressing negative opinions of Amway and the opportunity. Tool Kingpin Dexter Yager has told people that the only friends you should keep are other people in the Amway business. Listen to Dexter describing this by clicking here. Obviously if you are no longer friends with the critics of your business you will not be hearing the evil they describe it as representing. Believers are basically taught to forsake all who do not join the business to include family. Isn't this very cult like? Alienate devotees from outside negative influences altogether? These upline weasels are very Jim Jones-like in their desire to isolate you away from criticism of their con job on you.

3. SPEAK NO EVIL.

If there is a Ten Commandments-like law in Amway, it would be that the “Upline is always right” and therefore they do not want to hear anything negative from the Downline. This would be tantamount to treason! Eric Scheibler, former Amway Emerald, in his book Merchants of Deception describes how almost all his questions and problems with the business were blunted by this law whereby he couldn't complain to his Upline. Anyone complaining about not having the money to attend some far off function couldn't communicate this “negative” situation without being severely reprimanded and scolded. Another way of understanding how “Speak No Evil” works is to look at the Amway Glossary of Terms under the word “Edify” which says: “Normally used to describe the act of respecting or "talking good" about another person, this is taken to extremes in the Amway business. Distributors are taught to NEVER be disrespectful or SAY anything bad about their upline, no matter the subject or the distributor's feelings.”

Dear Readers, I must ask you, have you been taught this “wise monkeys” behavior by your upline mentors in their desire to subvert you into their cult kowtowing of tool kingpins (like Ron Puryear, Greg Duncan, and Dexter Yager) and Amway Company con men (like Doug Devos and Steve Van Andel who are listed at position number 3 in the top 5 Scam Artists by the Vue Weekly). The “wise monkeys” are wise because they refuse to listen to evil. Amway cultists have basically made you the monkey by convincing you to believe that the truth of this bad Amway affair is evil and instructing you to “See no evil, speak no evil, talk no evil” about “the business”. You, my friend, have been hoodwinked and made a sucker by these deceptive con men who head up the motivational organizations which has “absorbed” you into their BUSINESS CULT! You can do the right thing and spurn these lying suitors if you are involved with them. If you have been prospected by these merchants of deception, and have come to Amway Global Cult Intervention investigating the opportunity someone is trying to convince you to get involved in, NOW YOU KNOW what kind of people these recruiters are. Do like they used to say in the Taco Bell commercials: Run for the Border! Remember the Monkeys were wise because they refused evil; they did not refuse to SEE, HEAR or SPEAK Evil about Quixtar/Amway!

Are You Being Asked to Follow a Different Gospel That Keeps Renaming Itself and To Light Candles To Your New God At Amway Rallies?

Amway represents one of the greatest perversions of faith I have ever witnessed. People many times adopt this business cult as a religion. I recall reading that Amway gave hope to a man who was on the cusp of suicide by picking him up, giving him friends in the business and a reason to live. No longer was he depressed, he had a purpose in life which made suicide seem so distant. Hmmm? Might good old time religion and a trip to his local church have done the same thing. Even the Green River Killer said that he killed less people while he was selling Amway.

It is too bad that many people seeing the Amway light forget about the real "light of the World". Followers of the business cult many times believe they can help their fellow man by introducing them to the gospel of Amway. Many lose friends, alienate family, and become the most recent "joke" at church. Proselytizing for religion is a common activity of many religious groups and sects, but is something practiced by these Amway Cults as well. Even the "very elect" like pastors and church leaders have fallen prey to these other worldly activities and beliefs.

Amway believers want to make you believe as they do. They believe that by showing you their plan they are doing something good for you. They believe they are helping their fellow man to more fully see the light. They seem to want to combine their version of the light with the true light of the world and shine it on as many gullible people as they can find. You might think they were showing you the plan to salvation instead of a plan formed in the mind of men. Remember this when you see the Amway Global commercials talking about the company two friends from Michigan formed nearly a half century ago. The Amway Cult goes hand in hand with other pernicious cults like the Moonies, and the Sccientologists.

Proponents of Amway might easily dismiss today's posting as being absurd, but I point to the fact that at nearly all Amway rallies, there are usually Sunday Church Services that take on the very essence of Christianity and link the belief in God to the belief in the Amway system. At the end of the rally, Amway holds a candle lighting ceremony for its believers that mimics what many Christian churches do at their Christmas eve services, both very religious affairs. Amway wants their true believers to act the way Christian churches want true believers to be. Amway teaches that one can be a true believer in their cult like worldly system as if it were part and parcel of God's Universal system. Amway is indeed a perversion of faith. The gospel they teach is "another gospel" which Christians are warned against by the Holy Scriptures.

Amway Global Cult Intervention sees the promotion of Amway as a major perversion of faith. These dream weavers want to ride on the coat tails of the legitimate God inspired beliefs as if they too are good, godly and full of light. I must warn you they are of Satan the devil; they want to promote themselves as beauty, righteousness, and the light of the world, exactly as their worldly master, the deceiver, does. Quixtar/Amway Globule is a "worldly system." Please don't let these dream weaving folk convince you that they represent the light from above while they represent the light of "following men."

There is good news for the followers of this pernicious business cult; you can reject the perverse teachings these Amway believers expose you to and return to the one gospel found in the word of the scriptures, not the word of kingpin tool sellers of deceit. Folks being shown the deceitful worldly plan of the pernicious Amway business cult for the first time should turn away from the very presence of this evil and do the correct thing: RUN! Money is the god of these dream selling deceivers and profiteers. Dear friend, the money these profane worshipers seek is in your pocket. Keep it there for good use, not their supposed God inspired con job on you!

Amway Sucks! Quixtar Sucks! Alticor Sucks! See Tracy Coenen's Fraud Files Article On The Truth About Amway

The Administrator of Fraud Files, Tracy Coenen, has written a article on her website describing the Quixtar/Amway business opportunity. You can read it by clicking the title to todays post or by clicking here.

Tracy has gone a long way toward exposing the Quixtar/Amway Tool Scam and it will only be through concerted efforts of people like Tracy, the news media, and every day people to get the word out about these scammers and the games they play.

People can actually believe in the dreams and deceptions of this "Business" Cult. That is what fuels the billions of dollars this company extracts from their barely legal pyramid scheme. Add to that the money the Tool Kingpin scammers fleece and one can see the harm done. These people turn around and use this money to buy influence in our government to keep their scheme operating. Their focus is to now proselytize dreamers in emerging countries of the world where the true nature of their bad biz isn't understood. The American Scam is an embarrassment to this country much the same way as the Nigerian Check Scam is to that country.

Internet Critics, Bloggers and concerned citizens leaving comments go a long way to "Getting the word out." Our governmental agencies are not concerned about shutting these con men down, so the next best thing is make truth about Amway very public.

Quixtar Cult Intervention exists to provide a place where people who have been harmed by the Business Cult to come, learn, and express views. A coven of online cult imbued Ambots exists and congregate at the industry INSIDER web forum. These folk may be too far gone to help, but exposure to their own "Dirty Little Secrets" may make many begin to question their maybe not so great opportunity. I urge present IBO readers to fully examine the Tool Scam information in previous posts, and to see what another IBO has revealed about the lying cowardly kingpins.

Why Amway Global Cult Intervention? A Comment From A Former IBO: Sandcastles!

Sometimes I feel like a lightning rod. I draw lightning strikes of criticism and many times IBOs, question my motivation for writing this blog. It is because I care so much for people and their loved ones who are harmed by involvement in the Amway/Quixtar business and the cult like devotion many have to motivational organizations and kingpin distributors and the propaganda they distribute as training material. I have my heart in my throat for other people who may be similarly situated as myself since I have someone very dear to me who is in the grasp of the pernicious “business cult.” As the result of my stance on Quixtar/Amway corruption I have been accused of being biased, a fraud, a liar, and even of being someone else other than who I really am. Suffice it to say, I am not a disgruntled ex-distributor trying to bash the Quixtar business but a citizen and friend of people in need.

I generally leave my personal matters out of public view, but where Amway/Quixtar Independent Business Owners are concerned, I don't mind sharing my experiences which are a revealing peek under the hood of how the business cult operates and a factual description of how lives can be ruined by a pernicious cult. Sadly, the nightmare with my loved one is not yet over, and the story cannot be completely told. It is their story, but it is also my story. It is a story that must be told, and has been told, but not everything has been revealed, but soon the time is coming for that. I want to have my loved one home safe with me first. I tell my experiences to IBOs so that maybe some can be reached by my message of hope. Of course many of them do not view it that way. People in the business cult react with anger, which in my opinion can be healthy. A potential intervention comes by seeing and hearing my message and pondering on its ramifications. Thus sums up Amway Global Cult Intervention: It is a place of hope for those who are adversely affected, and a warning to new prospects to stay away from this truly pernicious cult which masquerades as a legitimate business opportunity or direct selling business.

I write this blog because I know other people have been harmed, are being harmed, and will be harmed. I provide information and opinion that brings sensibility to something that at first would seem benign, a supposed part time business that has the potential to destroy one's soul and has the potential to become a nightmarish situation, as it has in my experience. I have developed an eerie fear that my story is one that many IBOs are afraid for me to tell. I have come to understand the fear that Quixtar whistle blower Eric Scheibler must have felt and still feels from people who steadfastly hold onto their precious business as if it were a life or death cause. They so desperately believe in the deceptions that indeed make them the MERCHANTS OF DECEPTION as they have been accurately described. What I have learned about the business cult has given me a voice and a determination to describe the sordid details of the inner workings of “their little Quixtar cult.” The time for the full story is yet to come. Once my loved one is safely home, away from the situation she finds herself in now, all will be openly described.

Today, a commentator to my blog left a comment that describes the power of what Quixtar (Amway Global) Cult Intervention can do in other's lives and gives me a warm sense of being. It is evidence that there is hope for people and their loved ones caught up in something that can become so much more than a benign part time pursuit. An ex-IBO who identifies himself/herself only as “Amthrax” and whom I am sincerely grateful for has left this comment on my post about Quixtar conferences:

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I remember being all fired up at these conferences. Years later, I see the truth behind the smiling faces and motivational stories.

Ever wonder why you write out your checks to Cash or you have to enter your sponsors name, upline Platinum's name, and your upline Diamond's name on your order forms? It's certainly not because they want to create this lovely social graph to see how everyone's related. It's to more effectively redistribute your tool money to right person's pockets.

Sandcastles.

To any IBO planning to go to a rally this year, think about this word when you hear that uplifting story of struggle and triumph. What you're hearing is not the Diamond Dream Story, it's the Diamond Sandcastle Story. When they say that they want to see you on the beaches of the world, they're saying that they want you to be the sand that builds up and replenishes their sandcastles.

That's right, you're just sand to them.

I've been out of the business for many years now, and I've returned to the debate to help someone I know get out. I want to give him the information that I wish I received the day I saw the plan.

I have since learned that in my former AMO, some of the Diamonds have gone back to regular jobs, others are no longer on the speaking circuit, and some have even gotten divorced. That doesn't quite sound like a lifetime will-able, residual income business to me!

QCI and other websites have been extremely helpful, and I want to say thank you for providing these great resources. I hope that in helping my friend make a more informed decision about his future, that I will find some measure of redemption for myself. I wasted two and a half years of my life building someone else's sandcastle.

“Amthrax”

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I ask you IBO, are you building someone else's sandcastle?


Amway Global Cult Intervention indeed is here for people, IBOs, family, friends, pastors, associates, church members, children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and co-workers, or anyone needing a place to come for help, information, solace, understanding, or advice as it pertains to any pernicious situation, whether it is Quixtar/Amway or another bad MLM situation. I take Intervention seriously, not just for people in the business cult, but for anyone whose life has been altered, changed, affected or harmed. This is not your father's Amway.

Prevention is another area of help that Amway Global Cult Intervention provides. If a family member or good friend is being prospected for a business opportunity which is Amway/Quixtar or any number of other bad MLM opportunities, please share this blog with that person. You could short circuit a truly pernicious cult from taking root and all the negative repercussions from their potential involvement.