Motorists Selling Blood For Gas Money

[The Straight Story]

Motorists Selling Blood For Gas Money

SAN ANTONIO -- As retail gasoline prices soar to new record highs, a growing number of motorists are being forced to sell their blood for gas money.

"It is a never ending vicious cycle of donating and donating," resident Jessica Busby said. "Gas prices are ridiculous. What are we going to do?"

Busby is part of a trend of people finding unique ways to get gas money.

She rides her bike twice a week to the Grifols Biomat USA Plasma Center in San Antonio to give blood. She gets as much as $40 each session.

For a lot of people like Busby, it is the only alternative for keeping their cars on the road, KSAT's Steven Roldon reported.

http://www.local6.com/spotlight/16297312/detail.html

[Duke Newcombe]

1. Isn't there a more strict limit...

twice a week seems to be a bit much, but then again, I have never given blood before.

Duke

[SoCalDem]

3. Blood for Oil..ver.2.0

:(

[wellstone dem]

4. It's plasma not blood, and twice a week is the rule

most places give more for the second donation in a week. (My daughter does this.)

[Duke Newcombe]

5. Thanks, Wellstone Dem... n/t

Duke

[ebayfool]

6. Plasma, maybe? Locally people can sell plasma twice weekly ...

but whole blood, iirc, is a once monthly thing.

I've seen lots of people do this to put food on the table or meet the rent/utilities, but not gas. It's a desperate move for desperate people - & not healthy in the long run if it's relied too long.

[Duke Newcombe]

8. I was about to say...

That cannot be healthy at all.

I can only hope the Dem nominee and a Dem congress can start to turn this sluggish supertanker of an economy around.

Duke

[VP505]

7. They don't actually give whole blood.

They take the blood drawn and separate out the plasma then put the red blood cells and everything else back in.

[formercia]

15. I used to donate Platelets every two days.

It was for a Children's' Hospital. I volunteered there as well processing blood. They would take out a pint of blood, centrifuge it to extract some plasma and the blood is returned to the donor, The plasma is then ultracentrifuged to extract the platelets.
It was interesting to donate a pint, process my own blood and have it returned.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Meanwhile, soldiers are giving blood to secure our oil that

gawd put under someone else's sand.

[justinthebull]

9. A twisted part of me...

...can see a positive here. When people finally get sick of making such immense sacrifices just to be able to drive their Ford Extinctions, we just might bring ourselves to truly embrace necessary alternatives like bicycles and public transportation, and elect progressive politicians who will properly support the latter. At the very least, we can hope that it'll make a dodo out of the Hummer and SUVs. I have zero sympathy for anyone who finds themselves going without or making sacrifices for the sake of driving one of those beasts.

[Duke Newcombe]

10. unfortunately, these gas costs are impacting midsize and low-income workers.

The folks rolling Hummer H2s and big SUVs either (a) already have been clobbered by $3.00+ gas, or (b) can afford gas regardless how hight the price goes.

Duke

[uppityperson]

13. I'm self employed and people have been cutting back my services

dropping my income, making me cut back on food and other things, having their income drop, making them cut back on hiring me, making my income drop...

[Duke Newcombe]

14. I feel your pain...

I'm a small business owner (of one...me!)--especially dependent on public sector work. If the economy goes in the tank, my customers panic first.

Here's to getting used to top ramen...


Duke

[uppityperson]

12. How is your food budget doing? Unfortunately this is those with less income harder.

Since they have less of a cushion. It's not just driving high mpg vehicles too much, but about heating homes, about buying food, about having to cut back since whoever pays you for your job has cut back also.

[taterguy]

16. How far do you ride your bicycle to work?

Just curious

[varelse]

11. I was SO hoping this was a link to something in the Onion

:wow: