I donated $25, don't know this guy, but thanks for all he did on PHP that all my websites run on.
As a separate note, php.net probably can have some donation button, that it can use to boost PHP community, including helping key contributors like Richard too.
Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
171–180 of 317 posts
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#172My father's best friend (a friendship of over 60 years). Got 3 brain tumors... They all were removed with brain surgery. And he lived for another 3 years with good quality of life. Thanks to the biweekly physical therapy he had. Then he passed away. His kids didn't lose their house. His kids didn't lose their opportunity to go to college. Not to too bad for pretty small city in the middle of nowhere in Mexico. I wond…
To answer your rhetorical question, America is coming from being a hyper free market system, in which both culturally and legally people were expected to fend for themselves. This approach was extremely ingrained into American life for 200 years. Culturally the attitude was all-pervasive, and it was regarded as something that made Americans distinctive: self-reliance.
Given America is by far the world's largest economy, and possesses a fairly complex sociocultural system (significant diversity in most every respect, many competing large interests), I'm not sure why anybody would think transitioning to a soft-Socialism or "modern welfare state" model would be fast or easy.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not to be rude, but that doesn't obligate the government to provide that particular service. Just because I pay taxes doesn't obligate the government to provide me a house. Why is that the case for health care?
To answer your question seriously and without any implied political bent, the reason is: healthcare in the first world has become considered a right or entitlement. It's really no more complex than that.
>To answer your question seriously and without any implied political bent, the reason is: healthcare in the first world has become considered a right or entitlement.
That's the thing though. It has only become a right or entitlement in the places that provide it. I'd wager people would feel the exact same way if their government provided housing when compared to countries that don't provide housing.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
> that's guaranteed to eventually happen is you're going to get sick in a very expensive manner. Wrong, there's still a large part of the population who will end up dying of what we call "natural causes" such as Heart attacks and stuff like that. These are very inexpensive, because you don't see them coming, usually. So, no, not everyone on Earth dies from Cancer.
That's why I qualified it with "if you're lucky to live long enough". So, yeah, you might be lucky enough to unexpectedly drop dead before some other scourge takes you However if you don't happen to fortune into a sudden unexpected death, your body will inevitably decay to the point that you will become a large financial and emotional burden on someone. (Or die homeless and friendless). But we can't take care of thos…
If the probabilities were as bad as you suggest, there would be no such thing as health insurance. They need to bring in more than they spend on health-care costs. Most people can't end in a devastating health-cost manner.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#175I donated $50, but I really wish US (and other countries) would reconsider their broken healthcare systems. My dad died of cancer a few years ago and I am really glad we lived in Denmark when he got it - - with a great public healthcare system. He lived 2 years with his cancer, which is a lot when you are counting days. Not many normal people can afford these things (as each of my dads treatments cost about 20.000USD…
I don't particularly see this as being a strong problem with American healthcare. You can buy health insurance to pay for any and all medical expenses. The healthcare system is broken if you do an honest day's work and can't afford insurance, but that's not what we're talking about here. There is a reason that most of the best hospitals in the world are American, and the way we fund our healthcare is that reason. Yes…
> The healthcare system isn't broken if you do an honest day's work...
And how about all those people that can't work, because they're sick, or disabled, or mentally ill, or too young, or too old, or they just need 3 months think time to get their head in the right place.
Too bad for those people, they're going to die.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
The top can get the best care for the right price, the bottom has been inadequately supported though much progress has been made with ACA, and lots of people in the middle are inadequately prepared, because given the choice, they choose a higher standard of living instead of more safety for the future. To be given that choice is engrained in a lot of American culture. You won't find much sympathy for the middle class…
My god you're a privileged, elitist, self centred... calm, be calm. The fact that you keep posting this crap on a thread about some I look up to who is DYING OF BRAIN CANCER is really upsetting. So please stop.
If you don't like discussing the costs and methods of delivering health care, downvote the parent comment which mentioned it initially, not a person whom you disagree with.
If you can't handle an opposing viewpoint without becoming extremely upset and resorting to petty insults, you are part of the broken political system that has led to many of the problems we face, not me.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#177It's so sad that the country where Richard lived, worked and paid taxes for about 30 years can't provide for him. I'm glad to be able to help. But what happens to those that don't reach the front page of HN? No one enduring the stress of a terminal cancer should have to stress about getting ends to meet during their last months alive. EVER
I couldn't agree more. It's a disgraceful situation. If or when I leave this country, it will be in no small part due to issues such as this.
reddit.com/r/iwantout
reddit.com/r/igotout
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#178Donated. Best wishes to Richard. I had never heard of him, but I used PHP for years, and I suspect in some way he has contributed to my well being, so I consider this returning the favor.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
The fact that you have to compare the USA to a developing country to be able to say that "it's still much better" speaks volumes.
What about Canada? Is that acceptable? Left canada to come here to the US where we pay less and get more for the care my children need. No system is without its problems. I'm just glad in the US it's not about quality or quantity of care, just funding.
There are medications I need that cost an entire order of magnitude more in the US than in Canada. I'm not exaggerating. They're about $80 full price from Canada and $800 here in the US.
Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
My mom just got diagnosed with extensive small cell lung cancer (thats spread to her brain) and I am fucking terrified about whats going to happen to us financially. I can't even focus completely on my mother as a person because I'm wondering about the bills, then I feel bad for worrying. It fucking sucks.
Very sorry. Speaking from experience, this is exactly how it is. When there's a serious medical situation, the focus is necessarily on the bills. They even send you separate envelopes for every little line item and provider, staggered over time, even more than a year after the service, so you can never stop thinking about it. Always fearing opening the mailbox, having to deal with confusing hard to reconcile charges,…
> "you can get this public picture that everything is great"
I'm not aware of anyone, from any political background, who thinks the US system is anything above "pretty crappy". I've heard some people express positive sentiments regarding small parts of the system -- the quality of certain types of care, for example -- but never for the system as a whole.
The primary disagreements I'm aware of concern how to fix the current worst-of-both-worlds system. Do we put it entirely in government hands? Do we enact more regulations to try to force down costs? Do we remove or relax regulations that appear to drive up costs? How do we create transparency in pricing? How do we respond to innovative groups like Qliance? How should we balance the role of government, individuals, families, employers, and charity in health care?
Do not mistake disagreement on how to answer those questions as support for the current system.