I was watching the news on TV Thursday evening. They showed Michelle Obama visiting vegetable gardens in LA, encouraging the locals in their food raising efforts. Then the story mentioned that in the previous couple of days she had visited Mexico City and Haiti and showed a few clips of her presence there.
Then it hit me. She is the mother of two school-age daughters, and she has chosen to leave them for several days to take these trips. Why would a loving, caring mother leave her children, even if in the care of hired help her husband and their grandmother, and go on such a unnecessary (some might call it frivolous) trip?
In all likelihood this self-indulging travel is at taxpayers’ expense, complete with staffers in a support role plus security personnel, and that is questionable enough. However, when she apparently considers travel like this more important than parenting her own two daughters it is a sad commentary. Reminds me of the cases we read about where a mother, not wanting to be inconvenienced, leaves her child in the car for “just a second” while she runs into a store to buy something. The mother places her own convenience above the caring and safety of her own children – it is neglectful.
Mrs. Obama should leave the junkets to her husband or other government officials and make her children her top priority every chance she gets.
LOL!
Wow, all i have to say is:
If they’re not involved, we criticize them for not caring about the people and being to caught up in their worlds. However, now on that same token, if they travel and try to be involved, we criticize them too?? HELLO LET’S MAKE UP OUR MINDS HERE! We just love to always have something to bag on people with don’t we. *sigh*
Funny stuff. Is this from The Onion?
As with many American families, the Obamas have a multi-generational support system for their children
Barack Obama has become the first American president to appoint a First Granny.
Michelle Obama’s mother has reluctantly agreed to move from Chicago to Washington to take care of her granddaughters as they adjust to their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Marian Robinson, 71, was an indispensable part of the Obama campaign as babysitter for Malia, ten, and seven-year-old Sasha.
The move could signal the first time in living memory that three generations of a family have moved into the White House.
But the fiercely independent Mrs Robinson has suggested she could take a flat nearby because she doesn’t want to ‘intrude.’
Michelle, 44, has insisted that with 132 rooms, there will be no shortage of space.
She said she ‘begged’ her mother to leave her long-time home in Chicago’s tough South Side.
‘The girls are going to need her as part of their sense of stability,’ she told Newsweek magazine.
‘And what is true for my mum is that she does anything for us and her grandkids. All they have to do is look at her with sad eyes and she is done.
If the President and First Lady are not involved, we criticize them for not caring about the people.
on that same token, if they travel and try to be involved, we criticize them too??
Michelle Obama’s mother has reluctantly agreed to move from Chicago to Washington to take care of her granddaughters as they adjust to their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Marian Robinson, 71, was an indispensable part of the Obama campaign as babysitter for Malia, ten, and seven-year-old Sasha.
The move could signal the first time in living memory that three generations of a family have moved into the White House.
But the fiercely independent Mrs Robinson has suggested she could take a flat nearby because she doesn’t want to ‘intrude.’
Michelle, 44, has insisted that with 132 rooms, there will be no shortage of space.
Finally, why was this hopelessly adolescent diatribe published in the first place?
Isn’t there something more productive that you could be doing with this ” Blog”
You know the right would LOVE to go there, but that would make Serror Palin an even bigger derelict mother.
Sarah Palin was campaigning throughout the US as VP candidate…now she is is going around the country giving paid speeches.
1)Either her children were/are with her or they were/are not.
If they were/are with her, why were/are they not in school?
2) Or if they were/are NOT with her…where is the parenting? Especially since the husband likes to compete in the Iditerod (over 1,100) miles and has won several times and spends time away from family for his personal leisure.
3)OVERBUTNOTOUT you say:
“In all likelihood this self-indulging travel is at taxpayers’ expense…”
My response:
Remember when Palin and her daughter visited New York…”She and Bristol toured the New York Stock Exchange and met business executives, charging Alaska taxpayers for three nights in a $707-A-DAY hotel room, state records show.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/23/2008-09-23_sarah_palin_meeting_world_leaders_passin.html#ixzz0lHAIaZbr
I think First Lady Michelle Obama’s activities show her regard for the well-being of others and are a little sacrifice, of time away from her own family for the well-being of our children (promoting healthy LIFEstyles for LIFE) etc.
Additionally, this sacrifice away from family also generates tremendous goodwill for America.
Comparing her activities as a First Lady (and leaving her children WITH A LOVING GRANDMOTHER), to other women who leave the kids ALONE in a car to go shopping just doesn’t hold.
Francisco “Paco” Barragan (My opinions only and not those of any group)
I’ve seen some ridiculous stuff posted on this site, but this is right up there with the best of the worst. As Francisco reminded me, we all eagerly await your critique of the Palin family. I can only assume you were throwing sh*t at the wall to see what sticks, and this one is not sticking.
There are many working families who leave their children in the care of loving adults. This post is ridiculous.
Ouch. Sounds like I struck some sensitivities. As for Palin’s trips and tours, the same criticism can easily be leveled at her except that I guess some could argue she is working for money – a kind of job, whereas Mrs. Obama presumably is not. I am no defender of Palin, let me tell you. I generally also find rebuttals that say well “so and so does it too” as a defense to be pretty weak. Overall, thanks for your comments.
I’m sorry your first post in the Vern era has drawn such universal condemnation, OBNO, I hope you don’t blame it on me! But like old Art would tell you, it’s always good to get lots of hits and comments, and I believe this is the most comments you’ve got on a post so far.
By the way did you like the cartoon I found for your story yesterday about Turmoil at the Tustin School District? Now that was one old-school cartoon! (And a good story.)
http://orangejuiceblog.com/2010/04/turmoil-at-the-tustin-unified-school-district/
OMFG! You were serious, well, that gives us some insight into your head.
As for SERROR Palin, let’s see, “she is working for money”, she HAD a close-to-home, 125,000 dollar a year job + benefits up the wazoo, and when she accepted the VP slot ( and all the travel ) she had a 4 month old, SPECIAL NEEDS INFANT, how much more DERELICT can you get? Well, as with all things Serror, it gets worse, you can add;
Track- drug addict,vandal
Bristol-party girl, unwed teenage mother
Willow-party girl, vandal
Piper-misses lots of school
Trig-Serror’s prop and shield, continually under-dressed, missing glasses and hearing aids
Don’t worry Over, I think that the Obama girls will survive their mother’s trip and like Chelsea Clinton, they too will turn out to be model citizens.
@anonster (#12)
Yeah, I thought this was supposed to be comedy too. It’s still funny though, just not in the way that the author intended. Funny crazy, not funny ha-ha.
Thanks, Vern. Art had told me that the no. of hits is not a measure of how many read a post. But I guess it is a measure of how many people got torqued, at least in this case. As you know, a good author can throw something out there just to create controversy on a dull day. Yes, I saw your cartoon selection. O.K. with me. No. 12, I agree that Chelsea seems to be a class act. As for your assessment of the Obama girls’ survival skills, are you a Social Worker? Setting aside the issue of child neglect, the utility of Mrs. Obama’s trip is questionable to some taxpayers who believe they helped foot the bill.
I agree with OBNO. Tiger Woods is a very very bad man.