I don't want to hear 'woe is me'.

• Author: Cutler, Debbie
• Position: From the Editor - Editorial

I am losing one of my best friends, at least the day-to-day relationship we share, because this person is moving. I was saddened by the news, and shared my feelings with another close friend, who had little sympathy.

At the time of the call, she was reading about the devastating earthquake in Haiti and the state of the people there. A senior care center collapsed in the quake, and the elderly occupants were left without food and water. Some were in diapers, which had not been changed since the quake many days earlier, and rats were chewing and biting them.

They were left to die and knew it.

"It doesn't matter your friend is leaving," she said. "What matters right now is Haiti. Americans have nothing to complain about. It's the state of these people that break my heart."

I thought about it and realized, of course, she is right.

And the same holds true to Alaskans.

We worry about the economy, about the affect on our businesses, about unemployment, and a slight reduction in value in the housing market, and we cry "woe is me."

What about the rest of the U.S? What about the unemployed in the Lower 48? Did you know the average unemployed person there takes two years to find a job, according to one national economist? What about the housing crash? What about the loss of industry? The loss of health insurance? The loss of morale and hope? What about...