Allhands: The sky is falling! Avoid it for $49.50

The stock market experienced some huge drops in the last couple of weeks, prompting a whole new wave of nail-biting from people who think we're just a few flaps of a butterfly's wing away from financial ruin.

So, of course, the timing of former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's commercial was perfect. The economy is about to implode, he says, ominously. It'll be much worse than 2008, when tons of people lost their jobs and our 401(k)s were decimated.

Just go to my website for an important message, he says.

So I did -- only to find that it's just some elaborate ad for an investment firm. For the bargain price of $49.50, you -- yes, YOU -- can learn how to invest your money to avoid certain calamity.

Now, to be fair, this isn't exactly new. The ads have been airing on and off for months, though Sunday was the first time I'd seen one (at the in-laws' house while watching "Fat Guys in the Woods." You can't make this stuff up). Paul also has done this sort of pay-for-my-wisdom thing before.

Don't buy it.

If Paul thinks the system is about to fall apart (the well-known budget hawk has been warning as such for decades), why would he tell you invest in it? Even if it's supposedly all about making the "right" investments, putting money into anything requires some sort of faith in its worth or ability to make you more cash.