Fear is a powerful thing. And while many fear the pandemic, the real threat to our long-term survival as a society is unfolding right before our eyes. 
The American progressive movement began in earnest during the Woodrow Wilson administration and continued through Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. The well-intentioned goals were grounded in addressing the problems of industrialization.
But in many ways the long-term effects support the notion that the “road to ruin is paved with good intentions.”
Prior to this period, you can argue that we adhered to the view of our Founders, as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence: our rights come from God, not government. This meant that people were responsible for their own destiny and took care of their families.
The progressive movement changed that. It ushered in the concept that government is God and that the federal government can prevent all human suffering and take care of you. “Trust us,” say politicians.
And here we are today. While the politicians and the elite of the early 20th century may have had good intentions, over the course of the ensuing decades we now have a large percentage of the population who look to the government to take care of them.
This has led to the belief that problems are not of our own making but can be blamed on someone else. We have demotivated a vast segment of the population. Ask any business owner who has to hire and manage employees.
That is not to say we shouldn’t have some form of social safety net, but it has been expanded well beyond what is necessary or moral. With human nature being what it is, if you are promised a trouble-free life, then politicians will be happy to oblige to stay in power.
That mentality has resulted in a debt of $25 trillion with a debt-to-GDP ratio of over 100 percent. That means we have more debt then the entire yearly gross domestic product.
That has not happened since World War II. It is unsustainable.
Now comes the pandemic. Once again, politicians “never let a good crisis go to waste." While some object to the lockdown policies, others still want to see an expanded role for the government. After all, it is the source of every politicians’ power.
As a case in point, Senator Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi proposed a “Rooseveltian” coronavirus relief bill, on top of the other coronoavirus-related bills that already passed and added trillions to the debt.
Meanwhile, Senators Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders proposed $2,000-a-month payments to all Americans. Senator Harris said, “Bills will continue to come in every single month during the pandemic, and so should help from the government.”
That statement should shock any freedom-loving American. Will the pandemic usher in the "final act" for the progressive movement?
For those of us who dread continuing on this path, we must find ways to show that “government is God” is a fallacious concept. That starts in our own families, communities, and in our schools. It means engaging and not sitting on the sidelines of the battle.
It also means restraining the growth of the federal government. Fortunately, our Founders gave us a tool. 
The Convention of States is a non-partisan project based on the premise that the federal government is out of control, and career politicians of both parties are responsible. They are drunk on power and spending money, and will never restrain their own power.
The COS Project is an ambitious plan to use Article V of the U.S. Constitution to call a convention of states to propose amendments to the Constitution that Congress will never do on their own. Those amendments would fall into three categories: term limits on federal officials, fiscal restraints, and amendments to restrict the power and scope of the federal government.
Our Founders knew this day would come and provided us the means in Article V to reset the power structure between the federal government and the states.
The process requires two-thirds (34) of the states to pass a resolution in their state legislatures calling on Congress to call a convention of states per Article V. Fifteen states have done so but not North Carolina. The COS resolution currently in the North Carolina House is called H390.
We need your help. Go online and sign the petition. Please volunteer to help. Complaining will not fix the problem. You must take action, before it is too late. If not you, who will do it? That is what our Founders expected of us all.
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. Want to contact Jeff? Email him or connect via LinkedIn or Facebook.
