Ok I’m an idiot- point(s) taken 
Please join up. Few here have the guts and brains to admit when they are wrong! 
I have no clue where you got this but I said nothing of the sort. I had intended to check my bag from the very beginning.
Actually, the world often works that way. One member of my staff is an absolute dream to have working for me. She routinely goes beyond the call of duty with a smile and I value her greatly. When she had her first major screw-up last year it was considerably more difficult to judge her harshly than it would have been had a previous staff member, who used to screw up almost daily till she finally just quit, made the same exact error. I think that past performance and perceived value almost always plays a factor in how a screw-up is ultimately judged.
Incidentally, I never claimed that anything I’ve done has made “the taxpayer’s loss…ok”. I’ve tried to express here the genuine remorse I’m feeling regarding the huge error in judgement I made at the expense of others. GO’s post was not in the voice of the taxpayers, but my boss. Knowing my boss and my relationship to him better than GO I simply speculated further on what my boss’s OP might sound like. I might be completely wrong, but I certainly never intended to use any rationalisation as a defense with my boss.
I certainly didn’t mean that. Just don’t like to see one class disparaged as thieving and blaming their wages on it, when the rich and powerful are just as thieving and nowhere near as desparate. Every economic strata has thieves.
Well, that sucks, Moe.
If I were you, I’d replace the camera, PRONTO. Sorry, kid, but you stole a work camera (though you had the intention of returning it) - in many places, that would be grounds for dismissal.
Find the money, replace the thing (be sure to replace the memory card if the work one was a better one that the camera came with) and hope to GOD you don’t get your ass canned.
I know you’re acknowledging you made a mistake. It’s a big one. I agree that the TSA or Delta employee who stole the camera sucks unwashed llama ass. Doesn’t change the fact that you now have to live with the consequences of stealing office property.
::snort::
Moe, your plight truly sucks. If I can lend you some clams to help you replace the camera, which you know you are gonna have to do, just let me know. I am familiar with your past work and deeds and know you deserve a little slack.
My Brother-in-law took my sister on a trip as a plan to propose. He hid the engagement ring in a checked bag. When he told me of this story, I asked him “Are you freaking nuts??” He couldn’t understad why I thought he was crazy. It never once occured to my brother-in-law that valuable things aren’t always 100% safe in checked luggage. What’s with all that faith in humanity crap?