What Would You Do?
An interesting thing happened in Lousiana -- an ATM gave out $20 bills instead of $5 bills. Suhweet!! 
But wait, not so fast -- they know, of course, who used the machine and who got the extra moola. Bummer! Is it a bummer? Here, read the story first (from CNN):
MANSFIELD, Louisiana (AP) -- An ATM at a northwest Louisiana truck stop gave out $20 bills instead of $5 bills, but authorities say they know who used it and plan to pursue the extra $7,000 the machine spit out.DeSoto Parish sheriff's Lt. Toni Morris said the automated teller machine has records identifying the 26 people who received the extra cash during five days in late June and early July.
Annette Parker, a supervisor at Eagle's Truck Stop, said she unplugged the machine after overhearing conversations about the excess payments.
"The next morning when we had come back in, someone had plugged it back up," she said.
Morris said someone who did not work at the truck stop may have rigged the machine, which keeps records of when money is received and whose card is used.
Morris said charges could be brought against the people who got more money than was debited to their bank accounts.
OK, the obvious moral question here is, would you have taken the money? Would you have given it back? Is it right for criminal charges to be brought against those who were "given" and took the money? Or is it the fault of the Truck Stop? Shouldn't they have noticed a looong time before they did that way more money was going out of that machine than should've been? I don't know. Maybe it's just because I'm so tired right now, but I truly think this is a moral dilemma. I mean, what if one of those people who took the money was a single mom who could barely get enough together to feed her kids and pay her bills? Then suddenly all this money comes out at her, and she knows SHE didn't do anything to make it happen, so wouldn't she -- and rightly so -- look at it as a miracle or something? Would she be wrong in taking it? Is there more than one "right" answer here? Should she have criminal charges brought against her? I know what I would do. What would you do?
