What would you do?

[Pakman3000]

Earlier this week, a pair of sisters in Utah were heading to their car as they left a Macey's grocery store (not to be confused with the similar-sounding Macy's department store) and discovered a plain duffel bag containing around $17,800 in cash and nothing to identify the owner. Did they go on a shopping spree? Bury it in the back yard? Nope; they called the police.

Ultimately the authorities were able to track down the rightful owner of the bag (and presumably the cash) -- a local car salesman who said the money was from recent used car sales. He had actually contacted the police and the store on his own in his desperate search to recoup the money.

As a thank you to the good Samaritans, the bag's owner reportedly gave each of them a reward of $250 each.

Question is: What would you have done with such a discovery?

http://consumerist.com/2010/06/what-wou ... 18000.html

[MaximusR3]

is it common practice for used car salesmen to walk around with duffel bags filled with nearly 18k cash? If so then i'm surprised we don't hear more reports of used car salesmen getting mugged

[Timmy_2_Tones]

I can tell you that story could only come out of Utah, there is no way in hell all 17,000 would have been turned into the police. I can say that maybe 5,000 would have been turned in. "I found the bag open and Money blowing all over the place"....."So I picked it up and called you, I tried to grab as much as I could and put it back in the bag." :twisted: :twisted:

[Simmion_1]

I woulda spent it. no doubt.

[DaCajun]

Seriously? So basically you are nothing more than thieves and petty thugs who once wore or is still wearing a uniform to uphold and defend the laws and morals of our great nation, in other words a hypocrite. You want people to respect you for what you have done or are doing for this country but yet at the first opportunity would do anything even breaks laws to benefit yourself? Am I the only one that sees this as morally disturbing.

I wonder what others who come here browsing to see what our clan is about and read on the http://usmilitarygamers.com/about/history/ page of this site the following:

The goal of the USMG is to become the defacto gaming clan for our men and women in uniform while allowing mature committed gamers from all walks of life to find a home with like minded people.

Our Core Values:

* Honor
* Respect
* Integrity
* Commitment

Then they come here to the open forum and read some of the stuff here like seeing some members if given the chance would do the morally inept thing of keeping a bag of money that obviously belonged to someone else without doing the legal and morally correct action of bringing it to the local authorities where pretty much everywhere in this country would give you a receipt or should and if the property was not claimed by the original owner within a certain period of time it becomes the property of the one who found it legally. I found $30 once sitting on the ground right outside of the doors of a hotel I was staying at. I picked it up brought it to the front desk ans told the person behind it that I found it right outside and gave it to him in case the owner came back looking for it. Whether this guys did or not I don't know but at least I have a clear conscience knowing I did the morally correct thing and I would do it again and again no matter what amount of money it was.

Makes me feel so warm inside to be part of a group that has members with awesome morals as these. I figured when joined this clan that since we were mostly military that there was actually honor, respect, integrity, and good moral values amongst it members but when I keep seeing people that do, have done , or would do things that are obviously morally or legally wrong, it disgusts me. I know there are good people in this clan that have good values but it seems to me that they don't speak out enough to show it, they just keep to themselves most of the time.

I'm sure some people are tired of reading me talk about moral values, well I'm tired of talking about it because it doesn't matter what anyone says the morally inept will always be that way because in their own disturbed minds everything they do is justified no matter if the rest of the world thinks otherwise. Just go visit a jail or prison and they'll all tell you they are innocent if you ask them.

[Pakman3000]

I respect your opinion Caj, but it's not fair to judge a person for a hypothetical. I commend those who answer honestly. The easiest thing to do is say that you'd return the money without batting an eye. Hard to say what a person would really do when you're broke, hungry, had bills due or a family to look after. Granted, the same conditions could be true for the person who lost the cash. But how many of them roll around with a duffel bag with 18K in cash? It's also hard to say what you'd do when you have that much money staring you in the face. If you're gonna judge folks, then you have to be consistent across the board becasue the same rules apply. I know you found and returned $30, but what if that was $30K or $30 million? Could you honestly say you'd do it the same way each time? Same rules apply.

[smoke]

Everyone has their price, I don't care how honest you state you are, everyone will stoop into the clutches of evil, the question is, what is your price? :roll:

for 30 bucks, sure no question about it, I will take it back and return it to the first flatfoot I see, no questions asked.

for 300 bucks, I will still do the right thing.

for 3000 bucks, I am looking for a name to contact directly, but ultimately, still doing the right thing.

for 30000 bucks, I am strongly considering all avenues. I have bills, I have a family, I have my own problems, and ambitions.. I can do great things with 30000 dollars... Payoff my car, invest that money into my child's college fund.. etc..

for 300000, I honestly can't answer with any certainty with what I would do, nor do I think you can either. This question dives into the morality of doing whats right, at the time of needed to make that decision..

Sure, you can say that now, but when the day comes that you actually open up a bag of cash with no name, no address, no paperwork; to be perfectly honest, I have no clue what I would do at that time, and I don't think you do either.

I can safe with safe certainty though, that if that time ever came, that last thing I would do, is post it publicly on a forum, or tell anyone outside of those who were there with me, what will transpire. :o

SIDENOTE -- I tell you whats certain though, NO ONE, I MEAN NO ONE, is leaving more then $1000 out, and not looking for it, and the higher the amount, the more risk involved. I would speculate that the larger the amount, the more certainty that its was drug, mob, hit, police stakeout etc money, and by taking it, perhaps you are opening Karma up for men more bad then you, taking their frustrations out on you.. :o

[DaCajun]

Yes I would do the same thing again and again no matter how much I found. BTW when I found that $30 I was jobless with my family on the road going from Louisiana to a job that I was offered and told was mine in Kentucky. I barely had any money left in the bank to end up somewhere to find out they changed their mind and gave the job to someone else. We had no place to live. That's how I ended up in Massachusetts, we drove here the next day to live with her parents until we found a job again. Luckily I found one the first week then save up enough to move out on our own again in less than 3 months. But hey that's just me. I guess I think too highly of how society should be which obviously it is not.

So who is allowed to judge? Like I've said who judges and makes moral decision when we someone committing these illegal or immoral acts. So you see someone being rapped do you walk away because it's not for you to judge when is happening is wrong or right. What if you see someone shoplifting? What do you do? Turn a blind eye because it is not up to you to decided or judge if it s right or wrong?

[Pakman3000]

Yes I would do the same thing again and again no matter how much I found. BTW when I found that $30 I was jobless with my family on the road going from Louisiana to a job that I was offered and told was mine in Kentucky. I barely had any money left in the bank to end up somewhere to find out they changed their mind and gave the job to someone else. We had no place to live. That's how I ended up in Massachusetts, we drove here the next day to live with her parents until we found a job again. Luckily I found one the first week then save up enough to move out on our own again in less than 3 months. But hey that's just me. I guess I think too highly of how society should be which obviously it is not.

So who is allowed to judge? Like I've said who judges and makes moral decision when we someone committing these illegal or immoral acts. So you see someone being rapped do you walk away because it's not for you to judge when is happening is wrong or right. What if you see someone shoplifting? What do you do? Turn a blind eye because it is not up to you to decided or judge if it s right or wrong?

Finding and keeping money shouldn't be a slippery slope onto how we'd act in witnessing rape, murder, robberies etc. As for your story, I find in commendable that you say you'd have done the same if $30K were subsituted for the $30 you found because that could have been a major gamechanger for your fam at that time. I really don't feel that anyone who chooses a different path is less of a person.

[smoke]

I think you have your opinion, and your absolutely entitled to that; however, you are judging people here on a decision they make on a hypothetical poll, based on a real life situation that didn't really happen to anyone who is a member here. Just by taking a poll here, doesn't make our members criminal, and your strong feelings here are bordering on trolling, because you are inciting people based on your opinion.

Yes I would do the same thing again and again no matter how much I found. BTW when I found that $30 I was jobless with my family on the road going from Louisiana to a job that I was offered and told was mine in Kentucky. I barely had any money left in the bank to end up somewhere to find out they changed their mind and gave the job to someone else. We had no place to live. That's how I ended up in Massachusetts, we drove here the next day to live with her parents until we found a job again. Luckily I found one the first week then save up enough to move out on our own again in less than 3 months. But hey that's just me. I guess I think too highly of how society should be which obviously it is not.

So who is allowed to judge? Like I've said who judges and makes moral decision when we someone committing these illegal or immoral acts. So you see someone being rapped do you walk away because it's not for you to judge when is happening is wrong or right. What if you see someone shoplifting? What do you do? Turn a blind eye because it is not up to you to decided or judge if it s right or wrong?

[David_3033]

I just can't believe he just had that kind of money in a duffle bag. I still have trouble believing it was from used car sales, could be completely wrong though :? . In this situation it would be hard to say what I would have done.

The only personal experience I had with something like this was when I found a $50 bill in the middle of the street when I was a teenager. Did I keep it? Hell yes I did. Was I going to go door to door for hours asking if someone happend to lose $50, no. If I saw someone walk up and ask about it after I would of gladly handed it over. I don't feel bad about it and I don't think I should either.

[squidfamily1]

What does it mean when someone gets "rapped"?

[smoke]

Isn't that a nutt shot. :o

[squidfamily1]

Isn't that a nutt shot. :o

oh, snap!

[RookieHunter]

Yes I would do the same thing again and again no matter how much I found. BTW when I found that $30 I was jobless with my family on the road going from Louisiana to a job that I was offered and told was mine in Kentucky. I barely had any money left in the bank to end up somewhere to find out they changed their mind and gave the job to someone else. We had no place to live. That's how I ended up in Massachusetts, we drove here the next day to live with her parents until we found a job again. Luckily I found one the first week then save up enough to move out on our own again in less than 3 months. But hey that's just me. I guess I think too highly of how society should be which obviously it is not.

So who is allowed to judge? Like I've said who judges and makes moral decision when we someone committing these illegal or immoral acts. So you see someone being rapped do you walk away because it's not for you to judge when is happening is wrong or right. What if you see someone shoplifting? What do you do? Turn a blind eye because it is not up to you to decided or judge if it s right or wrong?

Finding and keeping money shouldn't be a slippery slope onto how we'd act in witnessing rape, murder, robberies etc. As for your story, I find in commendable that you say you'd have done the same if $30K were subsituted for the $30 you found because that could have been a major gamechanger for your fam at that time. I really don't feel that anyone who chooses a different path is less of a person.

Hypothetical or not, I would turn it in.......Mostly because I make a little over 6k a month so in 3 months I would basically clear what he had in the Bag, and Stealing 17k isnt worh the Jail time. Now I do Agree with TLOG on this one.....I cant Judge a person based on a Hypothetical question. Hell we do all have our Price. I dont think anyone in the this clan is Homosexual,(maybe Timmy....lol J/K) and its cool if some members are. The Reason for my last statement is; Hypothetically speaking, If Someone offered you 10 million to Suck a Dick, right there in the briefcase, you could see it, No Strings Attached, suck and walk away a Millionaire, would you..............My Answer is hell yeah, because 10 million is a Life Changer sir.........But again this is Hypothetical, and no one can answer such a question really until faced with said Ridiculous situation........

[RedCon-ONE]

Honestly at my current situation of unemployment, it's hard from me to say what I would do. I'd like to think I would do the right thing and turn it in but you never know unless the situation was actually presented to you. I commend the girls for doing the right thing.

On a side note, what was the guy doing with that much cash. I can't imagine someone buying a car in cash but you never know. Plus, if he deals in cash, why doesn't he have a cash bag? When I worked in a bar I had to do the weekly cash deposits to the bank. We used these small "Cash Bags" that were lockable with thick wire reinforced canvas that had dye packs in them. They were required by the bank for businesses doing large cash deposits.

[ASignorelli]

plain duffel bag containing around $17,800 in cash and nothing to identify the owner.

okay, so I would have skimmed a little off the top maybe. Cause you know there was $20k before they turned it in. LOL