As we saw earlier, Frederickson and Hart (1985) argue that too frequently
we fail to make a distinction between what they call the “moral entailments”
of service in the public sector and employment in the private sector. When
we do so, we denigrate the ideals of both democratic citizenship and public
service. They call for a return to what they call “the patriotism of benevolence”
based first on the love of and patriotism to democratic values, and
second, on benevolence defined as “extensive and non-instrumental love of
others” (1985, 547). This means that we should serve and care for others,
and work to protect their rights, not because it advances our own interests,
but because it is the right thing to do for its own sake. This patriotism ofbenevolence, they argue, ought to be “the primary motivation of public
servants in the United States” (547).