Blagojevich Missed His True Calling

With his big puffy overdone hair style and his naked appeals for cash, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich seems to have missed his true calling as a sleazy televangelist. On networks like TBN this bum would be right at home with outrageous appeals to send in money for a "blessing" or to feed the less fortunate, while much of it actually ends in some multimillion dollar salary in his pocket or a huge ranch home.

Rod Blagojevich could have become the next John Hagee or James Dobson, and made up absurd appeals to gullible listeners for some poor widow to send on their last cent to them so that they could live millionaire lifestyles. John Hagge for example is one of the highest paid televangelists by far, despite the fact that many of his own church members are Mexican Americans of only modest means. Hagee was once an Assembly Of God minister, but then was defrocked by this church in an infidelity scandal, so now runs his own megachurch free of oversight from any official church which allows Hagee massive freedom to set his own salary and ethics free of supervision. Hagee has also put some of his own family members on the payroll as well, allowing the family to take even more yet from the ministry. Hagee actually gives himself the title of CEO of John Hagge Ministries as he seems to believe that it is a business.

In 2001 for example, Hagee's "business" drew in $18.3 in revenues including donations or orders for tapes, books, etc. And Hagee collected a salary of $1.25 million dollars. This is the kind of money that Blagojevich loves. He missed his true calling here.

And James Dobson is another good televangelist example. Dobson who is a psychologist could simply open an office and charge fees and pay taxes like any other psychologist, but instead organized his practice into a $6 million dollar a year televangelist organization, Focus On The Family, allowing tax breaks for a
"nobprofit" religious organization. About the only religious thing about Dobson is how religious he is about lining his own pockets with a high salary. Blagojevich would love this rich and famous lifestyle.

Or take the case of Larry Lea. who was once a popular figure over at TBN until he put out an appeal to viewers to send him money because he claimed that he had a housefire. Rather than really being homeless, as many were led to believe, it was actually a vacation home of Lea's that caught fire. Lea might have been vacation homeless, but certainly not homeless. But the resulting scandal destroyed Lea's reputation. Oh, Blagojevich would be so proud.

Maybe Blagojevich would make a great fake faith healer. Some televangelists specialize in fake healings with staged events, where the perfectly able walk, and those with perfect eyesight now see. Staged healings always impress the gullible to give.

In the words of John Hagee, "If you're not prospering, it's because you're not giving". Okay. Governor Blagojevich take note of that. With your big hair and public speaking potential, you really missed your calling to shake down the masses, not just a few hopefuls who wanted a senate seat in Illinois.