Does anyone remember when honesty was rewarded?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Dallas Cops Keep $2,000 Found By Honest Teen*
by Craig Civale/ WFAA
http://www.khou.com/news/Dallas-cops-keep-2000-found-by-honest-teen-121630009.html
DALLAS --- Dallas will keep $2,000 found by a teenager in a parking lot
last February.
The money will go into the city's general fund --- not back to Plano
high school student Ashley Donaldson, who found the cash in an envelope
at the Pavillion Shopping Center in North Dallas.
"I don't regret making the decision I did," she said. "I feel proud of
myself for giving the money back. It's one of the biggest decisions of
my life."
The 15-year-old Shepton High School student spotted the money on the
ground and took it to a nearby Chase Bank.
Over the last three months, the bank and Dallas police have tried to
find the owner, but have had no luck.
On Tuesday, police said under a new city policy, the unclaimed money
will go into Dallas' general fund --- not back to the person who found
it, as in years past.
"We appreciate your honesty," said Dallas police spokesman Senior Cpl.
Kevin Janse. "We're going to put the money to good use. It's not going
to be wasted, but put to good use for the City of Dallas."
That's not the answer Ashley Donaldson had been hoping for. "I was
thinking about a car," she confessed.
It's also not the lesson her parents wanted her to learn.
"I'm happy that she did what she did, but the way it ended? I wish she
didn't find it in the first place, because it certainly didn't teach her
the right thing," her father Ben Donaldson said.
At the time Ashley found the envelope full of money, she was living in a
one-bedroom apartment with her parents and her four brothers and sisters.
The family had recently moved to Texas from Colorado and could have used
the money, but she felt that the $2,000 might mean more to its owner.
"This could be someone else's life, this could be someone's home," she
said. "If I took it, I could never live down the guilt that would be in me."
Ashley said the bank was surprised to see such honesty, but her parents
weren't.
"It was like an experience that presented itself --- like a test --- and
my daughter passed with flying colors beautifully," said Ben Donaldson.
--
Freedom is always illegal!
When we ask for freedom, we have already failed. It is only when we
declare freedom for ourselves and refuse to accept any less, that we
have any possibility of being free.
"Why should we bother with 'realities' when we have the psychological
refuge of unthinking patriotism?"
Gary Leupp - Professor of History, Tufts University
--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
