Spaw! What a great idea for a thread!

Yeah, I don't know if the word "crisis" applies, but there have been a few times in my life when I was conscious of having to make a decision on a matter of ethics.

Here's one example, from long ago. I went to college on two scholarships. One of them had no strings attached -- I could keep it as long as I didn't flunk out. For the other one, I had to maintain a minimum grade point average -- I think it was 2.50. The rule was, if I missed that number two semesters in a row, the money would stop. I think it was about $800 per year, and that was a lot more money in 1966 than now. I think my total tuition was about $1100 per year. Also, I was living in a dorm far from home, and had to pay room and board.

Well, I hit the sophomore slump, and missed the 2.50 by a few points. I received a warning letter from the administrator of the scholarship.

A semester later, I missed it again. Of course, I knew what my grades were long before the administrator did, so I was resigned to the fact that I would lose my scholarship. But, surprise! I received a letter from the administrator congratulating me on bringing up my GPA so that my scholarship could be continued. (I had brought it up a little, but not enough.)

Well, I calculated and recalculated my GPA every way I could think of, and became sadly convinced that it wasn't my mistake; it was the administrator's. (In those days, such things weren't done on computers, and the GPA wasn't printed on the transcript; you had to figure it out yourself from the grades on each course.)

So I knew what I had to do. I wrote a letter to the scholarship administrator, pointing out that she had made a mistake. She wrote back, thanking me for "being so honest," but of course, rules were rules, the scholarship money had to stop.

Fortunately, I had good summer jobs all through college, and I lived with my parents during the summer and saved my money. With my savings plus the other scholarship, I was able to pay all my expenses, and my parents didn't have to contribute anything more than room and board during the summers. I was proud of that. I also consoled myself with the thought that the money I had turned down hopefully went to another student who needed it more than I did.

* * *

But lest you think I'm an all-around Goody Two-Shoes, I'll tell you another story. Once a couple of years ago, I went to get money out of a cash machine. (That's what they call them here in Minnesota. It's an ATM to the rest of you.) I requested $100. The machine spat out four $20 bills, and then it sat and buzzed and whirred for a long time. Finally, a message appeared on the screen. "Count your money carefully. There may have been a mistake. Report any errors promptly . . ." Well, I had received $80, but I looked at my "receipt" (a misnomer), and it said $80. So I figured, as long as everything balanced, there was nothing to report. I forgot about it until I got my next bank statement.

I saw that they first showed a withdrawal of $80 and then, sometime later, they reversed that transaction, crediting me with $80. A note of explanation said there had been a problem with a cash machine. I made a mental note of the fact that I really ought to call the bank and tell them, but, as they say, I "never got around to it."

So, what am I? And honest person or a crook?