People feel that decisions about their jobs, the way their children are educated, how their church functions, and products they buy are made by someone and some place so distant that they can't find anybody to talk to that has any influence over them.

It is my belief that it is not the fact that he traveled as much as he did during the past few months as much as what he said and how he said it that hurt him.

Another cause for the increase in alienation and cynicism is a feeling that too many policy decisions that affect individuals have been taken out of any system that has accountability or that they can influence.

Most of the things that need to be said about the President are things he can't say himself.

As the society has gotten larger and more complex, individuals have lost their ability to influence any of the institutions that affect their lives.

Also the fact that anything he does is seen and heard by the entire country, not just his actual audience or those who live in the region he happens to be in.

This has resulted in more and more people becoming inner-directed and having as their only goal, getting as much as they can get out of the system and putting as little into it as possible