It isn't bad enough that it is the first day of spring -sledding over- now we are even more hosed than we thought? The events in Japan are terrible. There is nothing good about the loss of life. However there might be something good that comes out of it. Before the earthquake Japan was the #3 economy behind China and the US. They had been purchasing US debt in large quantities. That is out the window now. Instead they will be pulling money home to rebuild. China is becoming more and more reluctant to take on more US debt. What this will do is move up the day of reckoning for the US govt to get its house in order. And yes it will be very painful. It has already gone on much too long and is incredibly bloated and complicated and corrupted. The sooner it is addressed the less painful it will be. We just need somebody to step up and deal with it - it isn't going away.