Old North News

Is there any doubt our federal government is fiscally irresponsible and out of control? With the national debt exceeding $28T, the debt-to-GDP ratio greater than 100%, and no end in sight, it is obvious. How close are we to the tipping point? No one knows for sure.

In an excellent book, A Fiscal Cliff, University of Texas economist John Merrifield states:

The leading edge of default is already visible. It can become a real default if the likely effects of the monetary expansion needed to make payment deadlines are seen as unacceptable. Rising interest rates will be both a cause and effect of increasingly unsustainable federal fiscal circumstances.

Sound familiar?

In North Carolina, the Convention of States grassroots are growing. Particularly this year, the growth has been explosive. Why? We are fed up with federal overreach in all forms and the fiscal madness.

From its inception in 2013 to 2017, approximately 20,000 citizens petitioned their state legislators. Growing frustration and desire to rein in the federal government is evidenced by over 20,000 citizens signing the petition in 2021 alone. Currently, there are close to 85,000 petitions across North Carolina.

These are grassroots activists. They vote. They are involved in their communities. And they are involved in elections.

For example, in the 2020 elections, North Carolina COS volunteers  supported candidates who supported COS. The grassroots undertook the following efforts:

• Participated in 11 House and 5 Senate races. 
• Made a total of 4,831 calls for candidates.
• Block walked a total of 471 houses for candidates.
• Sent a total of 4,971 emails and 8,766 texts.
• Made 7,115 get-out-the-vote calls. 

These efforts helped elect conservative candidates in North Carolina in 2020. Participating in election activities is a growing strategy for COS grassroots nationwide--and they are having a substantial impact.

In 2020, the South Carolina team participated in 39 races, making 11,271 calls, sending 7,266 emails and 14,190 texts. More recently, the Virginia Team participated in the history-making 2021 election. The Virginia team members made over 2,500 campaign phone calls, and grassroots from over 30 states made 7,500 Get Out the Vote calls. A Virginia COS District Captain won one of the most hotly-contested seats in the House of Delegates, turning the district from blue to red. 

The North Carolina team is eager to develop a campaigning strategy for the 2022 election season. Given a larger and even more active team, we anticipate an even stronger impact in 2022.

Our first mission, however, is passage of HJR 233, the COS resolution to call for a convention of states to rein in an out-of-control federal government. The resolution passed the NC House in May of this year, but it now languishes in the Senate.

Why? It's difficult to understand, since this is the one major legislative achievement possible under Governor Cooper. Because Article V applications are made by the legislature alone, without the need for executive action, passing HJR 233 in 2021 is imperative.

Passing HJR 233 in the Senate will also send a message to Washington. It will show the federal government that North Carolina is not going to accept its abuse of power anymore. Additionally, it will prove to conservatives that the N.C. legislature is willing to use its power to protect North Carolinians from federal overreach.

The Senate has definitely heard from COS supporters. Since the beginning of this year, grassroots activists have made 26,288 calls (and growing) to constituents, asking them to contact their legislators. Constituents have sent at least 7,200 emails to legislators, along with countless handwritten letters. We've held countless meetings, rallies, and town halls.

COS supporters continue to contact their legislators. And we will continue until the resolution is passed.  We are not going away, only getting stronger, gaining momentum, and gaining political muscle.

Additionally, we are working on other conservative causes. Just recently, a call-to-action went to our supporters to push back on the efforts by liberal justices on the North Carolina Supreme Court, to again thwart the will of the people who voted overwhelmingly in support of the voter ID and tax cap amendments.

Passing HJR 233 is the right thing to do for this country. As we debate this, our national debt skyrockets, the federal government continues to expand its overreach, and we get closer to the precipice. It is time for the NC Senate to take the responsibility the Founders entrusted to them.

Jeff Groh resides in western North Carolina and is a small business owner. He is also a Regional Captain for the Convention of States Project, a non-partisan effort to rein in the expanding role of the federal government.

This column was originally published at Convention of States and has been republished with permission of the author.