Beyond its serious public health challenge, COVID-19 has had widespread sweeping economic impact across the U.S. as people and businesses are at a standstill and record numbers are filing unemployment claims.

Indiana's estimated non-farm unemployment rate currently stands at 9.96 percent, according to data from the Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In response to the virus the states have issued mandates that have significantly curtailed economic activity in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. However, in some cases, the government restrictions and enforcement may be heavy-handed -  potentially unconstitutional - and/or lacking common sense.

For example, in Indiana, Howard County Board of Commissioners have barred area businesses from opening except those providing essential goods and service.

Similar measures have been taken in states throughout the country.

Additionally the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, whose coronavirus projections have been widely referenced by the public, press, and state and national administrations, recently downwardly revised the severity of the coronavirus.

For these reasons - Convention of States Action (COSA) has announced that it has activated a nationwide response to perceived government overreach in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. President Mark Meckler, who gained national media recognition as co-founder and national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots, said the organization is encouraging citizens to adopt an "Attitude of Defiance, while practicing Common Sense Compliance."

COSA does not, however, advocate ignoring CDC guidelines, such as social distancing recommendations.

The new initiative includes a website clearinghouse to provide information about citizen activist groups in all 50 states pushing back on alleged government overreach.

This information will be updated in real time.

The site also contains information about potentially unconstitutional state executive orders that restrict citizens' rights to travel, gather for worship, engage in leisure and business activities, etc.

The clearinghouse also provides a platform through which citizens can use a free and simple tool to send messages to their elected officials asking them to reopen the nation and their states for business.

"America was built on the understanding that our right to support our families through work, to engage in trade and reap the rewards of our labors is a fundamental, God-given right," Meckler explained. "I know that elected officials at all levels of government are concerned about the public health and welfare of their fellow citizens, and I appreciate that. We all need to be self-governing, use common sense and take precautions in the midst of the pandemic. But heavy-handed and sometimes unconstitutional government orders that interfere with our most basic liberties do more harm than good to the  American people, and they must be opposed. We cannot sit idly by while officials ignore our Constitution and destroy our economy."

Other actions COSA is encouraging citizens to take include:

- Participating in "COS Serves" by reaching out to state legislators and offering to help provide needed services in the community in response to the pandemic

- Urging state legislators to continue meeting electronically rather than adjourning early and ceding too much power to the state’s executive branch

- Petitioning governors to respect civil liberties and "err on the side of freedom" as they consider how to use emergency powers.

The Convention of States organization boasts a grassroots network of 4.3 million citizens, with an organized team of volunteer leaders in every state. Its mission is to restore a culture of self-governance in America and to curtail federal overreach through a limited Article V Convention to propose constitutional amendments that impose limitations on the size and scope of the federal government, including a balanced budget requirement and term limits for federal officials.

However, amidst the current public health crisis, the group has begun monitoring and pushing back against perceived abuses of power in the states as well.

Learn more about Convention of States at its website, www.conventionofstates.com