Posted by Tina
First Lady Michelle Obama is traveling the country and making media appearances to celebrate the third anniversary of her “Lets Move” program and praise it’s success. The goal of “Let’s Move” is to reduce childhood obesity by stressing food choices, nutrition education, and exercise. In media appearances she cited a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report and stressed gains made in Mississippi, a state with very high obesity rates in children. Childhood obesity In Mississippi has declined by 13.3%, according to the foundation report which is very good news for the children of Mississippi! But the First Lady should not be so quick to take credit for this improvement without acknowledging that most of it occurred prior to the start of her efforts with “Let’s Move”.
The Weekly Standard has the story and quotes the First Lady from her appearance on “Good Morning America”:
“We’ve really changed the conversation in this country. When we started, there were a lot of people in this country who would have never thought that childhood obesity was a health crisis. But now we’re starting to see some movement on this issue,” the first lady told Roberts. “Our kids are eating better at school. They’re moving more. And we’re starting…to see a change in the trends. We’re starting to see rates of obesity coming down like never before.” …(continues) …”But the good news in Mississippi is that they’ve seen a decline in childhood obesity of 13 percent, so we’re gonna go celebrate and highlight what has been going on there. There’s still work to do,” the first lady said.
The White House also issued this press release:
Mrs. Obama and Rachael Ray chose to highlight school lunches in Mississippi, which was rated the most obese state in the nation for several years, because the state’s childhood obesity rates have declined by 13% among elementary school students in recent years. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Mississippi is one of several states and cities to show decreases in childhood obesity, including Philadelphia, New York City and California. Mrs. Obama praised Mississippi’s efforts and called on other states and cities to follow suit.
A chart from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (see the Weekly Standard page or follow a link there to the full report) clearly shows that the 13.3% improvement happened between 2005 and 2011. Mississippi’s accomplishment in lowering childhood obesity began five years prior to the start of Let’s Move”.
Clearly kids all over the country are being encouraged to eat better and exercise more through Michelle Obama’s efforts and that is a good thing but I think the First Lady could have been a bit more truthful when speaking before the American public…it wouldn’t hurt to give Mississippi parents and teachers more credit for the accomplishment since they are more responsible for the success.
It pains me to say so, because I love this country, but it seems with this administration, including First Lady Michelle Obama, the important thing is their personal image and political power.
Of course she doesn’t “do” it; she inspires it done. That’s her actual job, actually.
But she’s certainly not successful with you, of course, obviously. All she inspires in you is resentment and envy, but nobody’s perfect.
Libby I can always count on you to miss the point of the post.
I also don’t expect you to have noticed that I have treated the First lady with respect, for the most part, over the past five years. My first post about Michelle Obama was written in defense of her.
The point of this post is an important one. The first Lady is taking credit for something that had nothing to do with her program. I find that dishonest and frankly disappointing since she didn’t need to do that to highlight the good that has been accomplished. It would have been to her credit to give credit to Mississippi and the teachers, parents and kids that made such great strides even before she started “Let’s Move”.
I’m all for First Ladies finding a cause and using the power of their office to do some good. At the same time I think it is unseemly to be dishonest about what they accomplish.
Oh boy. I just read an article featuring an account from a teacher participant in one of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” events. These are her words, not mine:
The quoted blog post goes on to describe the ordeal:
Highlighted features of the day: “…inefficient public transportation, extra-large adult T-shirts dispensed to young children, crony capitalist product placement, a dreary group exercise program inflicted on hungry children two hours past lunchtime, and interminable waiting.”
Read the entire article guys. Like most things “big government” these events sound like a lot of big bureaucratic waste and children used and abused as a prop for a photo op. Progressives are more about big expensive production than they are substance and value.