> At a public water fountain, it is customary for
>people to toss in coins and make a wish.
>Everyone realizes that it's superstition--they
>don't actually think it will make their wish come
>true. They simply do it for fun.
>
> Basically, I reached in and took the quarters I
>saw. I told my father and he said it was wrong
>of me to do so, that I was taking something that
>did not belong to me.
>
> I immediately noted to him that the city would
>have to hire someone to clean the fountain
>otherwise, and the wages would cost more than was
>earned through the fountain. I also commented
>that the fountain was an antique, and the small
>drains could easily be clogged, or that the upper
>basins could easily be chipped. After I said so,
>though, I wondered if I was just rationalizing.
>
> And so, I come to the point: I would appreciate
>some thoughts on this.
>

You're rationalizing. It's stealing. It's not up to you to decide what happens to that money, it's up to whoever owns the fountain. I'm sure you didn't actually take the money for any of the reasons you outlined--you took it because you wanted the money. The reasons came afterward, as an explanation. You took what wasn't yours--that's stealing.

-- Dave