Matthew Lesko, number 99 on the list of 100 People Who are Screwing Up America, is known for his wild informercials in which he claims he can tell you how to get free money from the U.S. government. (Claims that are disputed by critics.) Last fall, The Black Table posted this interview with Lesko.

His message to the world is as loud as his three-piece suits: Rape the government for all the cash you can-and I’ll tell ya how! Matthew promises to teach readers how to get money from the government so they can quit their jobs; how to get free government help, and how to get free White House greeting cards, moon rocks, fishing posters, cookbooks, and photos from the Space Program. “Your tax dollars have paid for it, so ask for it!” Lesko reminds you, claiming the federal government gives away $350 billion in free money and grants each year. All you have to do is ask for it. But how can people focus on government aid when they’ve got 300 question marks haunting them like guilt?

This interview doesn’t really get to the point, but is very funny. Here’s a typical exchange:

Interviewer: Who is your target demographic?
Lesko: People who have $40.

Here’s Lesko’s official site (of which I’m very, very wary — I wouldn’t go there in Internet Explorer on a PC). Here’s more criticism at the Ridiculous Informercial Review (which just may become the next entry in this Blogathon).

[Questions for the Question Mark Man]

This article is about Funny Money  Saturday, 29th July 2006 (by J.D. Roth)