Grassroots activism doesn't always mean a protest.

For the Concord Coalition, it comes in the form of a speaker's panel. The group focuses on the nation's fiscal problems, a timely concern given the recent surge in tea-party activism.

The goal of the traveling panel, which will cover five states in the next two months, is not to suggest a solution but to educate the public on the options available for cutting federal spending and tightening budget controls.

The panel includes former government officials, and they don't all agree on what should be done.

"All options need to be on the table," panelist David M. Walker said in a press release. "Given the sheer magnitude of the fiscal challenges we face, a narrow or ideologically driven approach will not work."

The former U.S. comptroller general is one of five speakers on the tour.

The coalition believes that the first step is to give Americans a more nuanced understanding of what it will take to get government spending under control. Only then can citizens discuss their concerns with lawmakers in an informed manner.

The tour kicks off in San Francisco on September 23 and will finish up in Chicago two months later.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org