November is just the beginning ...

This weekend marks the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The delegates are coming into town, bloggers and news media are setting up to broadcast the speeches and events, and the coronation of Mitt Romney as the GOP nominee will soon commence. Notably absent from speaking roles at the GOP convention are Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and several other stalwart conservative warriors, much to the dismay of the tea party faithful. The absence of these voices is a lesson to all of us ... November is just the beginning.

The primary battle for the GOP presidential nomination was brutal. It does appear that the fight was never particularly fair as conservative media outlets and party elites jumped into the Romney corner early on, which was just what the party bosses ordered. But, no matter, that is water under the bridge at this point. As much as many of the Newt Nation faithful and Ron Paul Revolutionaries are still holding out hope for some sort of miracle in Tampa, it's become pretty clear that the stage is already set for November. We're going to be seeing a battle between establishment candidates for the presidency. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, has been blacklisted by conservative media and ignored by the liberal mainstream media, so it is looking less likely that he will emerge as any real game-changer in November. But, I am still in Gary's corner at this point, and will remain there. My mission goes well beyond this election season, and that is because my mission is to shine light on the two-party system that is controlled by elites and has distanced our government from the voice and will of the people. I will continue to educate and sound the alarm. Casting my vote for either major party-establishment-player, in this case, is just contributing to the status-quo.. so, for the first time in my life, I'm going rogue.

As grassroots conservatives, we have a huge battle ahead of us, and it isn't just happening at the top of the ballot on November 6th. Regardless of who occupies the White House, we will have to work like never before to demand that our elected officials listen to us and not to their political advisers and party bosses. As our debt clock is now approaching $16 trillion for the first time in history, we are seriously looking at what could be the beginning of the end of life as we know it here in this country. A credit downgrade from one or more credit rating agencies is not only possible, unless something very substantial and dramatic changes in the way that our government spends our money within the next few years, it is inevitable that a downgrade will occur. We have sequestration, the end of the Bush-era tax cuts, the insolvency of Medicaid/Medicare/Social Security, sustained high unemployment, and we have a growing number of states facing financial collapse (California being an obvious example). We don't have time to ignore the failings of those who are 'in our party'.. we have to call out big-government progressives in both parties from day one of the new congress. 

The number of Americans who have become dependent on government is at an all-time-high. According to the 2010 Census data, 48.6% of Americans lived in a household receiving some sort of government benefit. Logically, when that number exceeds half the population of this country, we could begin to see people revolt against the government. Clearly those receiving these benefits are increasingly likely to vote for candidates who promise to keep those benefits in place. As the takers outnumber the makers, deficits will spiral, debt will grow, and the entire system will break down as the dollars needed to foot-the-bill for these ever-increasing government outlays are stretched thinner and thinner. Civil unrest will increase, people will begin to hide/hoard their money. Our already weak economy will grind to a halt. Simply put, the status-quo is unsustainable.

The Tea Party is the last best hope for this nation. There is much that conservative warriors can do to stem the tide of fiscal disaster in this country. We must wrestle control of our government away from the party elites and put it back into the hands of common-sense, patriotic, educated, grassroots conservatives. Here are some things we can do:

• Seek out and support candidates down ballot in November who support fiscally conservative policies, and who are not puppets of the party establishment

• Vote in November. But, first be sure to educate yourself on every single race on the ballot and choose candidates who support Constitutionally conservative principles, are laser focused on our fiscal situation, and are least likely to be controlled by the party elites. 

• Contact your elected officials routinely with calls, emails, letters and even personal visits to their offices in Washington, D.C. Demand a hearing, and make your voice heard.

• Stay connected to the army of grassroots conservatives who are fighting day and night to stop our out-of-control government. Join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networking sites. Read the conservative blogs, and even start your own.

• Learn all that you can about our situation, and educate everyone you know about what is going on inside our government. 

• Above all, never, ever, give up. This country is far too precious to give up without a fight.