Entitlement

In light of the recent "controversy" over the remarks Mitt Romney made at a fundraiser, I started thinking about entitlement. Don't we all feel entitled to something, even a little bit?  We act like one of the richest countries in the world, yet, we are not.  We all seem to have homes with running water and flushing toilets, food on our table, cell phones, TV's, cars.  How many of us can say that we don't feel entitled to these things?  So much so that we are willing to go into gross amounts of debt to have them? Why is our country in trillions of dollars of debt?  I believe it's because we somehow, collectively, feel entitled to having what we want RIGHT NOW.  Sure, there are people out there that truly, truly need the government to step in.  The disabled, the elderly, the parentless, the widow, the sick.  Why does anyone else want or need the government to tell them where to go, what to do, and who to pay?  I frankly would rather have my autonomy.
I know that I have a lot!  I have an abundance, really.  I feel really and truly blessed for this.  However, Mike and I didn't always have an abundance.  We were there with the poor and needy at the beginning.  Just like so many people I know, we had nothing.  Our first apartment had no dishwasher, no shower, threadbare carpet, thin walls, freezing cold in the winter, boiling hot in the summer, holes in every door and was situated on the main street in Logan, UT, where we heard every car go by, every shout from neighborhood children and every dog barking.  My husband rode his bike to school (up hill both ways :)) and we had no family support for babysitting, money or anything else.  Sure, our family loved us, but we didn't ask for anything, nor did we feel the need to ask for anything.  Somehow, we survived.  OK, it's not exactly like living in the hood or a third world country, but it was, by this country's standards, a poor existence.  I don't remember a time when I was so happy!  I had a new baby, a husband who loved me and a roof over my head.  It wasn't fancy.  It wasn't always easy.  It was just life.  The only time we turned to the government for assistance was for a student loan, which we are still paying back.  I am grateful for my country, and my government.  Even though I don't particularly care for the current leadership, we still live in ideal circumstances.  This is God's country and I feel truly blessed to live in it.  Let's not get too caught up in what the government owes us, or what they can do for us.  Let's do for ourselves, work hard and be comfortable.  I personally am going to strive to feel less entitled.  I would gladly throw away my cell phone in order to feel a little more humble!  Anyone with me on this?  Love ya!