Re: [pyrnet] Day two

["Linda Weisser" <lmweisser@home.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Vehring" <vehring@worldnet.att.net>

Could the donation be
made with the specific request that it go to that area?  No Red Cross
decides what to do with it.  Are the victims in the hospital charged for the
blood?  Well yes!  Probably at least for handling and shipping it out there.

Is anyone else outraged by this from a charitable organization is charging
for what is literally and figuratively "life's blood"?>>


A couple of thoughts here.  One cannot designate the blood since in most
cases blood banks have already shipped all available blood off to the east
coast and are bascially trying to restock local supplies.

And, of course, the collection, testing, proper storage and shipment of
blood is a very expensive thing.  How do we propose that all of this be paid
for?  Either we all have to donate a lot more money to the Red Cross (and
the local hospitals who are actually doing the charging) or we have to raise
taxes to cover it. It's the old "no free lunch" issue.

While the RC may in some sense be a "charity" it is really a non-profit
organization which is not exactly the same thing.

I think that the people answering the phone could have handled all of this
with a bit more tact, although the basic facts cannot be changed.

Linda