Best way to teach about government?

I've been thinking quite a bit this week about a topic that came up in my church meetings on Sunday. One of the men in the class mentioned that in his home growing up they were taught by example not to criticize political leaders. This got me thinking about how to teach our children about their right, even their obligation, to influence politics without teaching them to be critical of authority figures?

I've found that my kids have learned a great deal about the political process in place in this country by watching me be involved in it. Is it wrong for them to know that I'm against my City Council limiting my free agency by forcing me to pay for recycling? If they were to never hear me criticize decisions made by my political leaders, how would they know how the process is supposed to work? I want my children to be involved in politics. I want them to make their positions known to their elected officials. I want them to know that it's good to question decisions made by our elected officials. That's the way a representative government works.