Why can't someone who is a programmer just patch the module and then put the "patched" module up on the module section of Drupal.org?

If someone writes a patch, why can't that person just fix the drupal module in the first place.

In order to write a patch for a module, it seems to me that the programmer knows about the bugs in the original module. If he/she is knowledgeable enough to write the patch for the module, couldn't he/she just fix those same bugs that are in the module? Can a person write a patch in that much less time than just fixing the bugs in the original module.

Some of us who are setting up a Drupal website just want a website that works. We often don't have time to spend months studying all the intricacies of programming in some language such as HTML or PHP. I for one would love to learn how to program in HTML and PHP. But the reality is that, as a self employed business person with a family to raise, I'm not going to take time away from my business and my family to learn how to program.

Then the question might come, why am I setting up a website if I don't know how to program in HTML or PHP? I have used computers since 1985 and have literally  installe hundreds of programs on Windows 98 or XP. I prefer to use the programs to develop the ideas and principles to live buy. I truly respect programmers, without whom I wouldn't have any software to use. However, the reality is that we each have different gifts. We also each have so many hours/days/years alloted to us. We can't each do everything. As an example, if I'm supposed to do the job of a programmer, is he/she then also supposed to do everything that I have to do in my life?

Why is there the suggestion that "everybody is supposed to learn this or that? Why not just focus on the problem. I assume that each of us just wants to have fully functional websites. Now how can we accomplish that?

In a perfect world, all the modules would be complete and work perfectly, and there would be not purpose for this whole message thread. There would be no need for patches.

As a ... could patches be written in such a way that they could be used just as easily as the modules themselves? More to the point, as I said above, could a knowledgeable person just run a patch on the module and then upload that patched module to the module section of Drupal.org?