Democracy is the genesis of public participation – power held by the people. In 1787, when the Founding Fathers had hammered out the U.S. Constitution in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin told an inquiring woman what the gathering had produced, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.” A republic means a representative government more than a citizen-direct democracy. Given America’s current cold civil war, we’re facing some tough conversations about the role of government in the coming years, I remain active and hopeful.