Right now, a lot of people are trying to convince Montanans that everything is falling apart. That our best days are behind us. That government can’t work. That the only answer is to dig in, point fingers, and shut every door.
I don’t buy it.
I make my living building fence and running cattle. Out here, you learn fast that fear is expensive. A scared cow will bolt through a perfectly good fence. A rancher who lets fear talk him into putting off simple repair will eventually lose stock.
Politics is no different. That kind of thinking doesn’t build anything. It just burns down trust.
Montana was built by people who ran toward challenges, not away from them. Homesteaders didn’t cross the plains because it was easy. Ranchers didn’t survive blizzards and droughts by panicking. Loggers, miners, farmers, and small business owners didn’t grow this state by sitting on their hands and waiting for someone else to fix things.
They built. They adapted. They solved problems.
Fear-based politics tells people to stop trying. It says every idea is a threat. Every compromise is weakness. Every change is a disaster. That mindset might win attention online, but it doesn’t fix roads, lower taxes, improve schools, or help families afford a home.
In the Legislature, I see two kinds of leaders. Some show up ready to work, even when the problems are tough. Others show up ready to fight, even when solutions are right in front of them.
Getting results does not mean abandoning our values. It means applying them. It means using common sense, respecting the people who pay the bills, and fixing what’s broken instead of just complaining about it.
Every fence I build starts with a corner post. Set it straight, set it deep, and the whole line holds. Build it on fear and shortcuts, and it won’t last one hard winter.
Montanans didn’t send us to Helena to put on a show. They sent us to get results.
Montana’s future deserves better than fear.
It deserves leaders who believe in this state, believe in its people, and are willing to roll up their sleeves and build something that lasts.
Rep. Brandon Ler, R- Savage, is the Speaker of the Montana House or Representatives.