“Twenty-six out of twenty-nine is a good record”: That statement was by John B. Harwood, who is representing convicted and formerly imprisoned Frank Corrente for his role in Plunder Dome, who hopes to reclaim his pension. The statement has resonated in my brain ever since I read it. And people wonder why we have an estimated $500 million deficit in Rhode Island? Harwood is a former speaker of the Rhode Island House. With the former speaker’s logic, I am surprised the deficit isn’t higher.

I am not sure how much money Mr. Corrente obtained illegally other than what I saw clearly on the FBI surveillance tape. Would he be willing to come up with a figure and pay taxes on that amount? Because, by using my logic, it would appear that he was collecting a pension while collecting his salary.

Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion and not any of the other crimes he supposedly committed. If I were Mr. Corrente, I would just go away and live my life out of my safety-deposit boxes and enjoy my surroundings.

You’ve got to love Rogue’s Island. The more things change the more they stay the same.

PETER K. DESJARDINS

Smithfield