Mar 15, 2014 2 min read

Some thoughts over a second pot of coffee:

• If all of us began the day reading and reflecting on the daily comics, the world would be a better place.

• President Obama would have been well served by reading “Dilbert” before giving the green light to HealthCare.gov in October. He would have learned that when pointy-haired bosses in suits are permitted to get in the way of geeky engineers in crooked ties, nothing good can happen.

• If Vladimir Putin read “Zits,” “Mutts” and “Baby Blues” each morning, he would conclude that Americans are a lot like Russians.

• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie must be thrilled that the Ukraine and Crimea have replaced Hoboken and Fort Lee in the daily news cycle.

• Now that a field and stream store is coming to Washington, outdoor enthusiasts will be able to buy guns and fishing tackle from an even wider assortment of vendors. For the rest of us, is one book store and a small movie theater showing films like “Philomena” asking for too much?

• A trip to South Florida, where poor immigrants and first generation workers make up a large percentage of the population, gives one a unique prospective on our country’s social issues. These workers are employed in the hotels and restaurants, keep all the tropical plants and grass under control and pick the fruit and vegetables. For them, a living wage, health care and immigration reform are all life-changing events.

• Sometimes I wish that the comic strips “Bizarro” and “The Argyle Sweater” had an answer key at the bottom of the page.

Gary Stout

Washington