Richard Aungier for SD-31

The American Dream Is Not a Government Program

“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.” — Thomas Sowell

My name is Richard Aungier. I am a candidate for Montana Senate District 31. I am also a member of the early baby boom generation. As Americans we inherited the most free and prosperous country in the world today and likely in history.

We are leaving behind an economically and morally bankrupt mess which many of us would now describe as a sinking ship which has deteriorated to the point that it is now beyond repair.

Our generation has made real and painful mistakes. The worst of these was the failure to prepare our young people for adult life while concurrently building a vast bureaucratic nanny state which has encouraged an attitude of dependency and discouragement.

In the name of illusory fairness that system has taught too many people that merit and productive work are not worth the effort.

Aron Flint is correct when he says that making the American dream affordable again must be a national priority. But nothing will work if younger Americans continue to blame the rich for their problems instead of holding government accountable for wasteful spending which robs American workers of what they earn.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” — Lord Acton, 1887

This country is broke in more than one sense. One of these is clearly our public education system where the curriculum is heavily shaped by teachers unions. This arrangement has produced a deep inequality where wealthy families can choose private schools, boarding schools and tutors. Ordinary taxpayers are left with home schooling, which does not fit every family, or public schools that too often shortchange reading and math and then replace that with teaching them they should be ashamed of their heritage and to treat biological reality as optional.

If we care about this country’s future, education must be a first-order issue. Our children are not the property of government; they belong to their parents. Parents, not union officials, should decide the educational environment that is of most benefit to their children. Teachers unions should not control school curriculum. Teachers who excel should be paid more. Teachers who turn the classroom into a political workshop should not keep that job. Telling a child in secret from the parents that he or she was “born in the wrong body” should be treated as child abuse by authorities and punished as such.

Young Americans have every reason to be angry for what has happened over decades of irresponsibility and intentional incompetence.

“Every nation gets the government it deserves” applies here as well.

We can allow frustration to pull us toward the Democratic/communist path and we will get what Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela got when they handed government the power to “rob the robbers” and destroy small businesses and their middle class.

Or we can learn from this dark history. Socialism never has delivered fairness. This kind of ideology has turned those countries into a living hell for all but those who are in charge of totalitarian governments.

“Under Socialism sooner or later you are going to run out of other people’s money.” — Margaret Thatcher

The freedom our fathers, moms and grandfathers fought for is worth fighting for.

I trust Aron Flint and Kurt Alme to fight for these principles in Washington.

I intend to dedicate my life to making sure young Montanans learn again to tell right from wrong and refuse the trap of Socialism. We must remember that it is only a small step from what is known as “democratic Socialism” to hard communism. History tells us that it will be only a short time for this transition to take place in a violent way. We are seeing this on the streets of American cities controlled by Democrats today.

The American Dream is not a government program.
It is what free people build when they are allowed to keep what they earn and teach their children the truth.