What is A Civic State of Mind? 

The American people are disillusioned, disheartened, or just plain angry. Part of the problem is treating symptoms of the disease, but not the root causes, chief among them the abandonment of core values underlying our system of government—civil behavior, civic education, civic engagement, the preservation of political and social institutions essential in any democracy, and yes, governmental reform and renewal. We must get back to those basics before we can change the way we are governed.

In a democratic Republic such as ours, governing is impossible without public trust, and public trust cannot be restored now unless all of us get more engaged in recovering citizens’ ownership of our system of government. It will require each of us to repudiate current conditions and embrace a Civic State of Mind. The Republic belongs to the people. It’s our government, if we have the will to keep it.

A Civic State of Mind are my thoughts on how we get there.

Who is Mike Johnson?

Mike Johnson is a former journalist, who worked on the Ford White House staff and served as press secretary and chief of staff to House Republican Leader Bob Michel, prior to entering the private sector. He is co-author of a new book, Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People and an earlier book, Surviving Congress, a guide for congressional staff. He is co-founder and former Board chair of the Congressional Institute. Johnson is retired. He is married to Thalia Assuras and has five children and four grandchildren.