Comments on: Laid off, losing my house, and worried about health insurance

By: Shawn

Shawn — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:21:13 +0000

Robin,

I’m sad for you on many levels, and in some ways I’m sad for this country. We have completely lost the ideals that this country was founded upon; personal responsibility, freedom, limited government. Those who can only see this problem as Us vs. Them, or Democrat vs. Republican, or rich vs. poor, have lost sight of America.

Read The Federalist Papers. Maybe then, you can understand how wrong it is to put things like health care in the realm of ‘basic human rights’. No person has the right to another person’s labor. That’s a pretty simple but powerful concept, but in this entitlement society, that concept is all but forgotten.

Your ‘new’ government is nothing new. Hope and change has become fear and control. The saddest part of it all is that smart people (like you) have bought into this lie, hook, line and sinker. We are so totally screwed unless smart people (like you) wake up and smell the totalitarianism.

By: Will Hill

Will Hill — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:53:59 +0000

Roy at Boycott Novell put a link to this story in the freenode IRC channel. I’m sorry to hear this but pity saps like me who never got the good job to begin with and all those fresh grads who get to work for nothing in a shrinking market where experienced people get to live in a trailer. My only consolation is that Microsoft is finally over. Your talent will get you a good enough gig when things settle and people figure out that people like you have been right about things for more than a decade.

Oh yeah - the health care thing is a sham and it’s crazy you would give up something as basic as safe shelter for it. Depending on what state you live in, you are better off as a charity case. Here in Louisiana, having insurance just means that you get to pay your bills yourself. Given my deductible, that means I pay all but the most major of bills myself and avoid health care. Rather than sell my house, I’d ditch the insurance. $850/month will buy you a lot of primary care visits, so you might just stay healthy in the first place. Good luck, I feel your pain.

By: Susan Barr

Susan Barr — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:48:05 +0000

Robin -

Just heard about your lay off. Sure sorry to hear about that. I know that you will land on your feet. Best of luck to you.
This may sound cold, but maybe Joe picked a good time to check out.

By: bsdhacker

bsdhacker — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:29:32 +0000

Hi Robin,

It’s always a scary experience to get laid off when you have a family to provide for - especially in an economic lull. Kudos for handling it with a positive outlook. I hope to see you continue to write linux/bsd/foss articles in other places.

By: Limpalot

Limpalot — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:40:35 +0000

Oh, totally forgot: Good luck Robin!

By: Limpalot

Limpalot — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:38:58 +0000

aristotle jones: Are you the typical American?
Your view is that everyone should be left fending for themselves, we have no responsibility as a community?
If you’re stupid enough to be poor you don’t deserve health-care?
I’m so happy I don’t live in a society as cold as that, and I sincerely hope you need help you don’t get someday you arrogant POS!!

By: Chimneytom

Chimneytom — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:27:22 +0000

Robin,
Thanks for your many articles and talented work at Linux.com. Like many of the companies across the USA and the world, I think they are and have been making very large scale mistakes in ousting many “older” folks from the work force. I’ve been a chimney sweep for 20 years and found that my “own” business has been the fallback many times over. 5 years after I started the chimney sweep business I began with computer teaching which lead to repair and now network support in small situations …. again my own business. The issue of getting rid of senior working people will come to bite them on the backside, IMO! In fact, I believe that many US company failures has been because of that very fact. Amongst many reasons for the failing issues with companies has been that they keep insisting on throwing out good basic business practices for the sake of a buck …. like hiring minimum wage kids to replace older workers. Eventually I myself, will have to give up the sweep work for physical reasons but I’ll work it as long as I can.

I picked up Linux (Slackware) approx. 8 years ago and do love (Linux) it. There have been many times when I came to Linux.com and discovered you had wrote something or video taped things with your thinking reflected in your writing, always encouraging and interesting. If you stay with journalism within the Linux community, I’ll be looking forward to reading your thoughts on what you write where ever you go.

Robin, be encouraged as you face a change of direction and I pray and wish healing to both you and your wife. Thanks again for your work!!

Tom

By: roblimo

roblimo — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:45:29 +0000

Relax, goat boy. The boat’s already sold. And I have a surprising amount of freelance work coming in, so I may not collect unemployment for long, if at all. The only long-term problem is health insurance — and that’s a problem shared by millions of other laid-off Americans, not to mention even more millions who don’t get any even though they *are* working.

By: thagoat

thagoat — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:55:31 +0000

Quit whining you hack! Need some cash? Sell your boat!
I did get a kick out of your sarcasm and obvious jab at Linux.com for sh!t-canning you, but come on do you expect people to believe that you’re broke and penniless? What were they paying you, peanuts?
Don’t cry to us. I work for $13 an hour. Wanna trade places?????

By: Marcel

Marcel — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:41:56 +0000

Robin,

I hope it all works out well for you. We ’spoke’ on #mepis years ago and I had some dealings with you when I wrote articles for linux.com. I find it rather remarkable that they let go a man with your profile. One of the linux warriors so to speak.
It makes me wonder what path linux.com is planning to take.

Hang in there! I wish you and your family all the best!