I believe you're correct about the ASIC "scam". 

1.  If a product exists, people will buy it, even for a small gain.
2.  The above forces everyone to buy it because of difficulty.
3.  Repeat at NO. 1 and most spend more than they earn due to delays.

The only solution seems to be a coin that does change algorithm on a monthly basis.  I don't think bitcoin will implement this, so mining BTC you agree to play the 3 step game above.