I just wanted to say this hits home very hard. back in 93 my father was struck with 12 micro-strokes and 90% blockage, they did a eight-way by-pass but a lot of really bad things happened after that. which I can’t really go into. but lets just say he’s living on a mil worth of VA meds a year. and just hit by a heart attach and due to some of those problems I can’t talk about they can’t even open him up with out killing him.

I do hope Mr. DeRaego hand his family get as much help as they can. The world would be a much worse place with out his imagination

Mr. Eley you are welcome to email me anytime. I’d be able to tell you more about my father’s problems then.

I know that you are busy but I do not see the link that you mentioned. I would love to donate to the DeRego fund. Escapepod and J.R. DeRego keep me sane in the job that I have at the moment. I’n lucky to be able to continue the health care given be my last job. I may not have much money and may be having car and personal problems right now but reaching out and helping someone who entertains me would make me feel better in some way, I hope that he is doing alright and will send a card but it sounds like money may be more appreciated,,,,,I will look again soon .

I really want share what little I can and if all of us do maybe their lives can be less stressful…

Thanks Steve, EP friends, and readers/listeners all.

I am refrining from the political discussion.

GIGO

I hadn’t realized that there was another DeRego story on EscapePod. However, now I’m hesitant to listen to it. DeRego will probably be fine, right? He’ll probably write more. Collect his stories together into a publishable volume. Maybe write a novel. Right?

DeRego’s stories have become a treat that I eagerly look forward to, and I don’t want them to stop. However, I’m now asking myself the question… what if you do discover an author, and you follow their career. What if you’re sure that that author has tomes of literary gifts… and then for some reason never is able to give them?

You know, I started this comment with an intent to make a request that’s nearly automatic for me: “Please let’s not make this too political; this is about Jeffrey DeRego, not U.S. social structures.” And then I thought… Wait. This is about Jeffrey DeRego. These sorts of social issues are exactly what his stories are about. And if Jeff were available right now, he’d be in this arguing as passionately as anyone.

So the better way to respect him, I think, would be to say — go ahead, debate the system. Jeff would be flattered to have that going on in his name. But if anyone takes this personal, if anyone insults the character or attitudes of any other commenter or anyone in general, I’m going to start deleting posts. Keep the criticisms intellectual and keep the personal stuff positive. Are we clear on that?

How is it possible to justify a system that subjects people to financial ruin because of health care costs???

I’m not trying to be partisan here, but I hope people living in the US start to realize that having a working, state-run health care system doesn’t take away people’s freedoms – it increases them.

Imagine not having to worry about health insurance every time a person wants to take a chance to get a better job or to start their own business or whatever.

Since this is a Sci-fi blog, let me make a future prediction:

If there ever will be universal health care in the US future generations will look back at our time in quite the same way we look back at the twenties and thirties.

Just as we wonder how people could ever question an issue so obviously beneficial to all of society as the social programs that FDR put in place, future generations will wonder how we could have dragged our feet for so long and not demanded universal health care sooner.

I will not donate to Mr DeRego’s health care costs because he is a great author and writes amazing (albeit dark) stories. I’ll donate because he’s a fellow human being and there but for the grace of God go all the rest of us.