As I see the horrific devastation done by an 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami off the Northwest coast of Japan my first thought of course was for the people whose lives have been taken as well as the survivors who have a long road of recovery ahead of them.

My next thoughts were of just how silly and ridiculous some of our politicians are in regards to what they consider as important like preventing gay marriage, rolling back

health care, cutting benefits for workers while throwing money at the rich and powerful. I think you get the picture.

Is any one giving serious thought to the real problems facing this country like cleaning up corruption, the ever-growing gap between the very rich and the rest of us, and about our infrastructure which is falling apart around us?

When are we as a country going to grow up and deal with real issues and real problems? When are we going to start caring about one another as human

beings and not just as bodies to be used and discarded

once there is no longer use for the weakest among us?

George Whitaker, Bellevue