WASHINGTON -- As some of you know,The Seattle Times reopened its Washington, D.C., bureau this month after a two-year absence.

For yours truly, this is a homecoming of sorts. When my family emigrated from Seoul in 1975, we first settled in Alexandria, Va. I was in Washington for the bicentennial celebrations -- heady stuff for a kid born on the Fourth of July (in Korea, that's about as remarkable as having been born on February 4).

But after a year, my father's best friend lured us to Seattle with visions of plentiful jobs, mild winters and Starbucks on every corner. OK, that last part is a lie.

I caught the journalism bug while writing for the student newspaper at Juanita High School in Kirkland. I started my career as a business writer in Louisville, Ky., where I met a fellow reporter who later became my husband. I then covered aviation for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before returning to Seattle a decade ago, first to cover Boeing, then health care.

Now I'm back in the great town of Washington, in our office just a few blocks from the White House. My job here is to watchdog our congressional delegation, as well as explain how the decisions made in the nation's capital affect issues that matter most to the Puget Sound region.

So, tell me what's on your mind? What are the issues that occupy, worry or infuriate you? Thinking ahead to the midterm elections? Cleaning up Puget Sound? Pessimistic about reducing the federal deficit, the quality of political discourse or the Seahawks under Pete Carroll?

I'd welcome thoughtful suggestions and story ideas. Leave your comments here or send them to ksong@seattletimes.com.