Montanans are fiercely independent and take personal responsibility for their own lives. We don't want a government handout that breeds dependency; we want a hand up when needed, a level playing field, and the opportunity to succeed on our own merits.
True independence means knowing your success belongs to you, not to a state program. Government shouldn't be in the business of picking winners and losers or creating a permanent maze of preferential subsidies that keeps people dependent on a bureaucrat's pen. Out here, dignity comes from an honest day's labor and standing on your own two feet.
That baseline of independence is exactly what builds real prosperity. My opponent talks a lot about "affordability," but there's a big difference in how we look at the economy and government's role in it. When politicians focus entirely on affordability, they're usually talking about managing scarcity. They're looking for ways the government can subsidize costs or create new programs just to help you get by.
But Montanans don't want to just "get by." We want to thrive.
Prosperity means a local economy where wages grow, small businesses can expand, and regular families can actually build wealth. It's about lifting the ceiling, not just managing the floor. You shouldn't have to rely on a government program to make your household budget work, because at the end of the day, everything is affordable when you're prosperous.
Government can't create prosperity, but it sure can chomp at it, especially if allowed to pick the winners and losers. We get to prosperity by cutting the bureaucratic red tape that chokes out entrepreneurs, keeping our state spending in check, and letting you keep more of your hard-earned paycheck.
We need a representative in Helena who trusts individuals more than bureaucracies. We need someone who'll fight to open doors of economic opportunity rather than expanding the state's footprint.
True independence means building a prosperous community where families and businesses can thrive on their own merits.
That's Montana common sense.
These value posts were originally shared on Facebook. You can follow the entire series at facebook.com/leman4mt.