AP Courses - Are they a scam?

In CA, it seems the US History AP, even if you get a 5 on it, does not count for anything besides general units.  So you still need to take a class called the American Experience.

My guess, being a bit cynical, is this is more about making it so a certain department gets to provide teachers, than about the student learning. I wonder if you can take a class at a junior college (usually easier than an AP class), that would count for the High School US history requirement, as well as the American Experience?

And for reference:
AP Courses - Are AP Courses Worth It? - About.com