MIMI’S VIEW OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE THREAT OF TERRORISM:

Prior to 911, we were living in “la-la-land”. There is no doubt about it. Homeland security has no room for beauracracy. Imagine agencies that either could not or did not share information necessary to protect us. Are you kidding me? Think about our airline security prior to 911. It was absolutely unacceptable. I remember a friend of mine, who is a retired cop, telling me about his flight out of BWI the day before 911. He was trying to get some coins out of his pocket and the lady at the security post was yelling at him to “hurry up”… She felt he was holding up the line. He was rushed through like cattle. This was ridiculous, yet our national security experts knew what the terrorists wanted to do to this country. We might not have known exactly when and how, but they certainly knew the intent of the extremists and that should have been enough to enhance security well before 911.

With Homeland Security, we need to hire the BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB, PERIOD! No favoritism, nepotism, or “connections” necessary! I don’t care if the person in charge of homeland security has a “name” or some type of fame or recognition. This isn’t a popularity contest for this type of position. It’s for the best of the best in emergency management, national security, planning and response! Every home should be required to shelter in place or evacuate, but it’s not the case. Every car should have a basic survival kit. Every school, and college campus too, must be better prepared. There’s only a few choices we have in a major catastrophe…We’re either ordered to shelter in place and survive for 3 to 5 days or evacuate to another place. How many of us are really prepared to do either / or??? Those with low incomes need to be financially assisted so they can afford what others can afford. Just like our criminal justice system, money matters and it should not. I’ll be damned if a Hollywood star can somehow find themselves with supplies of medicines to protect themselves from anthrax or the bird flue, but my child cannot because we’re not rich or famous, or somehow “connected”.

MIMI’S VIEW ON WAR IN IRAQ:

I supported the war in Iraq under Bush’s Presidency, however, with the understanding that we would not “go it alone”. The coalition that was formed appears superficial. Financial support in a war is important, but troop and real military commitment is the ultimate coalition and Bush NEVER had that. Imagine if all countries committed to this war? It would have been over a long time ago. You can’t form a working democracy without security. And if the military powers in the world worked together to form a “secure” Iraq, the “silent majority”, which I believe is not much different from the silent majority in the U.S. (I’m speaking of the “middle class” of any country) would not be afraid to speak out in support of our efforts. Right now, without true safety and security, the middle class stays silent in fear of execution. Hey, in our own country, kids don’t learn in many of our own schools because they are “out of control”. There’s no order, little security and little discipline. If an American teacher in the American school system can’t inspire a teenager to learn because he or she can’t control the behavior in the class, then how the hell can a democracy be formed in a country that has never known it! Without impressive and effective law, order, and security for the people that have the potential for possessing moderate views of the world, we cannot be successful!

A SOLDIERS’ VIEW ON MIMI Written by Jonathan Gammon:

Forget any preconceptions you may have about women with ridiculously large augmented breasts; this lady is brilliant. A self confessed “news junkie”; she is on top of all of the major issues that face Nevada, the country and the world today. She is thoughtful and insightful. Most importantly, she forms her own very defensible opinions on various issues independently… which honestly, is NOT something I can say about a lot of people that I have met over the years. She is running as a Republican, but don’t let this moniker fool you. To attempt to fit Ms. Damayo into a political pigeon-hole is folly. Her views range across the spectrum. If I were forced to give a description of her political alignment I would call her a moderate-conservative libertarian such as myself. This is not entirely accurate either since she also has some rather liberal views (like raising the minimum wage for example) as well. She is pro second amendment and pro choice… and of course very big on freedom of speech. In short, she is like most of us… a pragmatist. She takes a realistic, common sense approach to the issues and forms opinions accordingly based upon her own convictions. She doesn’t put her finger in the air to test which way the wind is blowing in order to make her decisions. Above all, she is fiercely patriotic. And before all of you “holier-than-thou” religious types get your panties in a wad about “the morality issue” I’ll say this to you: If you sit in moral judgment of Melody Damayo because she isn’t confined by your prudish sexual inhibitions, you are a fool. She is in fact, one of the most morally upright people I know. She is a loving mother and a woman of deep charity and faith. Most importantly, she’s honest. Now wouldn’t that be a welcome change in a politician?

MIMI’S VIEW ON ECONOMY:

I don’t think anyone really has a “handle” on accurately “reading” our economy. The bottom line is that the best matrix is most likely how many of us are actually earning a living that is significant enough to invest in our own economy by purchasing goods and services. When I was younger I used to be “anti-big corporation”, however, big corporations employ large numbers of people, can usually provide health benefits, and are not “evil”. However, when one totals up the total number of people that are either self-employed or own small businesses that employ anywhere from five to a few hundred people, I think you would be amazed at just how many of us are employed by a “small” business. So it stands to reason that governments HAVE to make it easier for small businesses to start up, survive, and ultimately experience growth. But excessive taxes, fees, and insurance rates make it tough for small businesses to grow and be competitive and employ people. I have a friend in another state that started a janitorial service with one weekly contract and eventually built the business to 65 employees, with over half being full time. That’s GOOD for AMERICA! Every small business that can employ people means more people integrated into our economy…into our society…But worker’s compensation and other insurance rates actually went up from 9 to 17% for almost six years in a row. Much larger companies can find ways of deferring or passing on costs or absorbing those costs…But small business owners are investing not just themselves, but their homes, their land, their possessions as “collateral”. And cost increases like that can put many small businesses out of business. The net result…65 people out of work! Multiply that number of workers by thousands of small businesses in every state and guess what you have….A BAD ECONOMY! To me…it’s not the size of the company that makes it “good” or “evil”….It’s whether that company is operated ETHICALLY. When owners of corporations milk that corporation of everything and leave their employees without their pensions, it’s like a “war” on our own economy! Should be HARD jail time for those that deceive such as what occurred with Enron and other large companies. Bottom line….WE ALL NEED TO BE WORKING A JOB…AND NOT AT MINIMUM WAGE! At $3.00 a gallon for gas, how can we survive when minimum wage hasn’t been raised in so many years? How do we survive when the IRS tax code hasn’t been fixed for 20 years? THERE CAN BE ONLY SO MANY HIGHLY TECHNICAL JOBS…WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MANUFACTURE PRODUCTS HERE..WITH OUR OWN AMERICAN WORK FORCE…SOMEHOW..SOMEWAY…WE NEED TO HAVE JOBS FOR THOSE THAT CAN WORK WITH THEIR HANDS!!!

Mimi’s View of Education and Preparing our Youth for Jobs:

Education in America is too much like our Criminal Justice System in America. It’s the greatest system in the world, but there are inequities that are systemic to the process. There is little doubt that money matters! We’ve built a system of education that is unfair for our children. IF you’re fortunate enough to live out of the inner cities, out of the poverty stricken areas of our country, chances are you will see better schools, better teachers, better programs, better everything. But, the fact remains that in order for real improvements to be made in any classroom, money alone has not and will not fix all that is wrong. Parents need to understand and support the reasons for school discipline and strict policies. No teacher, no matter how dedicated, can teach students if there is no order in the classroom. And if there is no support by parents that they want their children in a disciplined learning environment, then they are sadly turning their backs on their own children without realizing it. There is few ways out of poverty besides education and skilled jobs training. But if a school is afraid to keep law and order within its hallways, cafeterias, gymnasiums and classrooms, we might as well just give up because learning is impossible. There are social injustices that have affected many Americans. However, all that was and is wrong cannot be fixed over night, and learning NOW is a much better option than waiting for society to change, because social change takes time. While we’re working toward social change, we need to “hunker down” and make the most of the time we have to learn right NOW! And whether a school is in a suburban neighborhood or in a poorer, inner city area, the schools should not look very different. Money matters, but it really should not when it comes to the quality of an American education. Everyone should get the same chance at a safe, quality, education…But ultimately, buildings are like other material possessions. Unless a parent and child focus on what’s most important (the character and potential of each child) fancy locker rooms and modern buildings will not be what fixes the educational system.