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A Closer Look at the Consequences of a Divided Citzenry & Entitlement Disorder

The Consequences of a Divided Citizenry

• The more divided citizens are, the weaker their collective voice becomes.
• The weaker our collective voice the less accountable government must be.
• The less accountable government is the more self-serving politicians and bureaucrats become.
• The more self-serving a government becomes because the voice of the citizens has been weakened, the more officials will be influenced by lobbyists. How are the most influential lobbyists? Those who spend the most money and/or those who scream the loudest. Businesses tend to have the most money to spend. Ideological fanatics and special interest groups tend to scream the loudest.
• Therefore, the more divided citizens are the more government is controlled by businesses, special interest groups and ideological fanatics.

This may be commonplace today. But, it is not mature patriotism. It is narcissism and fanaticism masquerading as patriotism. All because citizens were successfully divided against one another.

A Closer Look at Entitlement Disorder

When government is excessively influenced by businesses, special interest groups and ideological fanatics, entitlement is the result. Entitlement is narcissism by another name. As the government goes, so goes society.

I suffer from Entitlement Disorder when I expect other people, businesses or the government to:

• Take care of me so I don’t have to be responsible for myself
• Provide me with what I want without my having earned it
• Give me preferential treatment no matter who else is deprived by this
• Allow me to have my way regardless of the damage I cause to society

Entitlement Disorder has reached pandemic proportions in our culture.

• Entitled students expect great grades no matter how little work they do or how poor the work quality.
• Entitled citizens expect government handouts.
• Entitled employees expect raises, promotions, extra vacation days and other benefits regardless of how lousy a job they do.
• Entitled unions expect expanded employee compensation packages regardless of how much these risk destroying the financial sustainability of a company or government agency.
• Entitled executives expect obscene bonuses that have no relationship to their company’s bottom line.
• Entitled businesses expect to be allowed to generate as much profit as they can no matter how socially irresponsible their products, production methods, sales methods or distribution methods are.
• Entitled industries expect subsidies and bailouts from the government.
• Entitled special interest groups and ideologues expect preferential legislation regardless of how much this would conflict with the constitution or the common good.

Entitlement weakens countries. Just as much as a divided citizenry does. Therefore, anything that promotes a divided citizenry or entitlement is the opposite of patriotic.

A Closer Look at Constitutional Integrity & Integrated Loyalty

More About Constitutional Integrity

Constitutional integrity means supporting your country’s mission statement. This is usually the preamble of your country’s constitution.

• “Supporting” means embodying your country’s mission statement and requiring that businesses and the government do too.

Since the United States Constitution has been used as a prototype by emerging democracy-centered republics around the world it mission statement will be used as an illustration here.

America’s Mission Statement Has Two Key Elements

• The government shall be a servant to its citizens. Not to corporations, special interests or ideologues.
• The government’s policies must equally weigh individual freedom and the common good.

The #1 Implication of America’s Mission Statement
In order for a government to be a servant to its citizens the citizens must actively inform their elected representatives about their wishes and hold them accountable for implementing the will of the majority. When citizens are successfully divided, businesses, special interests and ideological fanatics will fill the vacuum this creates.

More About Integrated Loyalty

Integrated loyalty recognizes that being human means having many loyalties. Loyalties to…

• Ourselves
• Our families
• Our faith
• Our communities (our Homeowners Association, our neighborhood, our town or city, our state, and our country)
• Our affiliation groups (such as sports, hobby, advocacy, political and service organizations)
• Our businesses (and our professional/trade guilds or employee organizations)
• The wellbeing of humanity and of the planet on which we live.

More About Mature Patriotism versus Political Polarization & Immature Patriotism

To read about mature and dysfunctional forms of progressivism and conservatism click on this link: www.thenewiq.com/MaturePatriotism