Candidates appreciated for willingness to serve

Recently the primary election narrowed our choices for the November general election. The parties chose their nominees and in some cases only one candidate filed so we already have a presumptive winner. I congratulate those who were victorious.

In addition, I want to recognize everyone who ran and fell short. These citizens put themselves, their families, and their treasure on the line just for the chance to serve their friends and neighbors. They worked hard, ran for the right reasons, and had a genuine desire to use their talents to improve our communities.

I want to thank everyone who ran for office, whether you advanced to the next round or not. Your willingness to serve is appreciated, and I hope you will continue to find ways to remain involved in our civic life.

Before coming to the legislature I served as a member of the Poplar Bluff R-I School Board. The education of our youth continues to be important to me, and I am always alert to attempts to improperly indoctrinate our children. One concerning development I am following is the “1619 Project.”

The 1619 Project began as a series of essays in the New York Times Magazine. These were thought-provoking and influential, making the argument that slavery is the foundation of U.S. history. In fact, the project claims our history did not begin in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence, but actually when the first African slaves arrived in 1619.

The magazine was certainly entitled to offer their perspective, which represents a leftist, revisionist view of history that frequently just gets things wrong. For instance, several respected historians said the project’s contention that the American Revolution was fought to ensure the continuation of slavery was patently false.

Unfortunately, the project is being placed into the hands of our children as actual educational coursework. Schools across the country, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Buffalo, N.Y., are already adopting portions of the 1619 Project for use in the classroom. In my view, this is just another example of the trend to change history and brainwash our kids into hating our great nation.

Yes, America, like all of us, has made mistakes. However, it is still the greatest nation on earth and I will do everything in my power to ensure this phony curriculum does not make its way to Missouri schools.

Lawmakers continue to work toward a legislative solution that will help stem the rising tide of violent crime in Missouri. Members of the General Assembly will now carefully consider the individual components of a plan put forth by the governor to make Missouri communities safer.

The special session called by Gov. Parson officially began on Monday, July 27. This week Governor Parson expanded his legislative agenda, and in response the House plans to file bills addressing all his priorities. This includes legislation to: abolish the residency requirement for St. Louis Police; allow some juveniles to be tried as adults; protect witnesses and ensure their statements are considered by courts; increase punishments for those who encourage children to commit weapons offenses and for those who transfer firearms to juveniles without their parent’s or guardian’s consent; and authorize the Attorney General to prosecute murder cases in St. Louis City.

The bills being considered by the House will receive committee hearings the week of Monday, August 17. The bills are then tentatively scheduled to be debated on the House floor on Aug. 24 and 25. Bills that receive House approval will then move to the Senate for consideration.

May God bless and keep you and our great nation.

Hardy Billington represents District 152, which includes parts of Butler and Dunklin counties.