Day to Day Activities - Saturday, June 14, 2008

This afternoon, nearly 1000 young men made their way onto the University of Central Missouri campus in Warrensburg.

Citizens started arriving shortly before 12:15, and the experience was off to an immediate start.

After registering, students went directly to their cities where they settled in and met
their counselors and fellow citizens.

In the city areas, citizens learned the fundamentals of the state governmental structures that they will be building through hands-on participation during the week.

Citizens will create a working political system with ward, city, county, and state governmental offices. This will include law enforcement, court systems, buisinesses, a state economy, and much more. They even have to pay "Boys State" taxes.

Huckabee surprises and sways in opening night speech
BY JACOB ZIMMER
BOYS STATE CITIZEN
CARVER CITY

MBS citizens gathered in Hendricks Auditorium Saturday evening and were given an opportunity that only a few other Americans have shared: the chance to sit down and be mentored on morals, politics, and ethics by former Arkansas governor and former front-running Republican candidate for the presidency Mike Huckabee. Huckabee’s first-class speaking skills managed to persuade even those most hard pressed, liberally-minded citizens that he is an astute politician whose insight should be valued. “Before Mike Huckabee gave his speech, I did not care for him at all. His speech was great and made my opinion of him completely change. I realize that even though I completely disagree with his views I can like and respect him as a person, which I do,” Danny Leimberg of Carver said. “Even though I don’t agree with all of his conservative views, I enjoyed the speech he gave. He seems like a very fair guy and he’d make a great vice-president if he chooses to go that route.” Huckabee didn’t just change his image to citizens who formerly looked at him with a political bias. He was also a pleasant surprise to citizens who were expecting just another run-of-the mill speech telling them to “reach for the stars” and “follow your dreams.” “Contrary to my expectation, which was that I was about to hear another boring motivational speech, Huckabee gave a phenomenal presentation that changed my views toward him,” Tony Bertrand of Duggan said. It is evident that Mike Huckabee’s well-written and even better delivered speech was very beneficial to all citizens, even those who were not expecting it to be.

See pictures from the fundraising dinner held before the assembly

Focused instruction a highlight of program

WARRENSBURG • In addition to a core curriculum that all citizens of Boys State will study, focused instruction with professionals in each area of study provide Boys Staters additional insight. Following is a summary of each of the five areas:

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE AND CAMPAIGNING
This area is designed for citizens who desire a better understanding of the administrative and executive functions of Boys State officials. It is also designed to help citizens develop successful campaign strategies, create positive perceptions of candidates and deliver persuasive speeches. Citizens in this area also will administer and analyze the results of public opinion polls regarding elections and other issues significant to Boys State. The area is taught by the members of a political consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.

LAW ENFORCEMENT
This area gives citizens a look at the day-today activities of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The school is taught by members of the Patrol, which has had a longtime affiliation with Boys State. Topics covered will include various aspects of crime prevention and the responsibilities of a law enforcement official. Citizens will be trained in arrest and trial procedures, which they will apply when elected or appointed to law enforcement jobs at Boys State. They also will be updated on the latest and most effective methods of police work used by the Highway Patrol.

LAW
Citizens are taught the basics of trial procedures, civil actions, criminal offenses, pleading cases and the role of an attorney in general. Law students are required to pass a bar exam prior to practicing law at Boys State. Law School prepares citizens to hold offices which require a qualified lawyer, such as Municipal Judge. The instructors of Boys State Law School are practicing attorneys and judges.

LEGISLATIVE
Taught by current and former members of the Missouri General Assembly, including the former governor of Missouri, Bob Holden, the Legislative School helps citizens gain a basic understanding of the workings of the House of Representatives and the State Senate, including how laws are passed. Citizens will also learn about the procedural and practical problems of the legislative process, including parliamentary procedure.

MEDIA
The citizens who attend this area serve as staff members of KMBS-TV and KMBS Radio, each of which has daily newscasts complete with commercials and promotional spots, and of MBS Record, which is published daily. The staffs of the newspaper, radio and television are completely responsible for the content of their stories, and may develop editorial positions with respect to candidacies and operations at Boys State. During the focused sessions, citizens discuss the responsibilities of reporters and the basics of covering news events; advertising; producing television broadcasts; and libel and slander. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the media in political campaigns. The counselors for the Media School have extensive experience in media and politics.