If you needed to find an example of government action designed to make citizenry cynical and disillusioned look no further than this story, from WFAA:
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.
(The video.)
This after being told she’d get it if nobody claimed it. I found this story on Hot Air, who described it as wall-punching material. They were correct.
So, how much is $2,000 to the city of Dallas? (Hint, their 2010-11 budget is $2,795,393,655 (it’s in the 2011 .pdf file) Two Billion with a B.) 2000/2795393655= 7.15×10-7, or, 0.000000715%
So, you can see they need the money. Certainly means more to the City of Dallas than a 15 year old girl.
How sad. The city fathers must all be heartless.
She did the right thing. Too bad Dallas doesn’t have the same upbringing.
I’m sorry to hear this, but not at all surprised. Dallas government sucks!!!!
Update — an individual has given this girl $4,000, and The City MAY return the original $2,000. (From KCRS radio Odessa, Thursday morning.)
I also noticed CHASE bank had deposited #1000 in her name.
#1000 pounds? That’s like $1618 by yesterday’s valuation. Seems like this is a rare instance were being nice work out…bravo young lady, bravo.
(Yes, ‘#’ is right next to ‘$’ on the keyboard; we all have to take amusement where ever we can.)
The government never, ever gives money back unless forced to do so.
I say the Same as Julia handy says Government is sucks…… People of Dallas as well try to fight the Government.
Apparently, as noted above, the city let her keep the money. Mark Davis on WBAP was talking about this last week. Her family of six are living in a one bedroom apartment so the temptation to keep it initially must have been hard. Good for her and good for the good people of north Texas for helping her and her family out. She played by the rules and that was eventually – and probably, reluctantly – rewarded by the city.
Good for her to turn it in, ridiculous of the government to try and keep it.
When I was a kid we found a home stereo receiver in the field, stolen from somewhere of course.
We turned it in and 90 days later got a call from the police station and it was given to us. Thats the way I always thought it worked and how it should work.
When governments however do something like this it just tells people that if you find it don’t report it. Great lesson to teach our kids.
That is horrible. Her parents raised her the right way to be selfless and then her city goes does the opposite. Disgusting.