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Rarely do you get a story that connects the dots between the environment and morality of money, but Randy Cohen - a.k.a. "The Ethicist" at the New York Times - hit this one out of the ballpark earlier this summer:

Q: We put our paper, plastic and other recyclables in city-issued containers in our backyard and move them to the curb for weekly pickup through our town's recycling program. A scavenger regularly removes cans and bottles, presumably to redeem for cash. I say that by depriving the city of these items, he adds to our recycling costs. I want to ask the police to apprehend the "thief."My wife says I lack compassion. You?

A: Randy Cohen -- It would take a colder heart than mine to call the cops on someone so needy that he survives by scavenging garbage. To focus your crime-busting on the poorest of the poor shows curious priorities. Are there no BP execs, no Goldman Sachs plutocrats, no producers of "Sex and the City 2"?

I Forgot to mention how funny and wry Randy can be, too! He circles in for the kill:

To lead an ethical life requires us to empathize with other people and ask: What circumstances would induce a person to behave this way? And: Does the most moral response to this behavior involve the police? You should also ask how this fellow is to live if you thwart his pilfering recyclables. Rob liquor stores? Perform liposuction? There is little social good in what amounts to criminalizing poverty. It is not that the poor have a right to steal; it is that they have no duty to starve.

Italics are mine. And a strong, "Amen!" to Randy, too.

And just to confirm that Randy is even-handed, he concludes with this:

I would give a different answer if this foraging were the work not of an individual struggling to survive during tough economic times but was an organized effort involving fleets of illicit trucks staying one jump ahead of the designated recycling company. Context counts. What's more, it is not clear if your town makes a profit from recycling. If it does not, the scavenger may actually save you money by lightening the load.

Keep up the good work, Randy!

You can check out all of his back issues at his weekly column, "The Ethicist."

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