The King and All the King's Men - What's Next After Jail

The opportunistic Dickie Scruggs and his allies were never slouches at spotting the next big thing.  Now that Dickie will probably only serve five years vs. up to 75 he will exit jail still relatively young.  That means a new career path for him and all the king's men.

The best bet for this graceful Southern would be starting or taking over a megachurch.  Charles Colson found religion in the slammer but that niche has exploded with new possibilities.  Here in western Connecticut, we already have two megachurches, one of which had been covered in depth in THE NEW YORKER.  The PowerPoint sermons are state-of-the-art.

If the megachurch business isn't lucrative enough for Dickie there is real-estate development for Mississippi and Alabama. By then the market will have recovered.  And both states keep looking better and better to both domestic and foreign multinationals and startups.  If someone doesn't beat him to the punch, Dickie should travel to India to woo Nata Motors, which makes the $2000-something car, to build plants down south.  Ohio economic developers have already embarked on talks with another Indian auto company.

The third option is establishing a foundation to research and disseminate information about corruption in all society's institutions.  That's the least promising in the lot.  Post-Enron, I put together solid experience, publication credits, and contacts in corporate social responsibility.  No one cared to purchase my services in that important field of expertise.  I have since moved on to reporting on, deconstructing and networking in the gossip industry.