There has been grumbling that President Obama’s two children, Malia and Sasha, were shown preferential treatment by getting their H1N1 vaccine shots before a lot of the rest of the country. But Michelle Obama’s spokesperson has stated that the two girls only got theirs by standing in line for them, and that other Washington D.C. school children got theirs first. Additionally, since there is no shortage of the vaccine in that state, there is no grounds for this speculation other than for anxious parents to vent their frustrations.
Honestly, I hold with Dr. Mark Dworkin of the University of Illinois at Chicago who says that not only would it be distracting for the President if his daughters were to get sick, but there would also be the possibility of Barack himself getting sick, which would be bad for the country in general. And if anyone should receive preferential treatment, it might as well be the President. Running the country is not a privilege; it’s a duty. I’m willing to afford President Obama as many breaks as he can get if it helps him concentrate on his job.
Having the President’s children inoculated also sends a clear message to the rest of the country that getting the vaccine is the smart thing to do, something that remains in doubt for some percentage of Americans. If you are still on the fence, consider the Obamas — if they did it, couldn’t you?
Comments
Minerva
November 24th, 2009 - 3:22:34 AM
I was just thinking to myself that it's our duty to first protect our president (and his family). OF COURSE his children should be vaccinated immediately and so should he and his family. Americans can be so childish...sheesh. Any excuse to complain except the real issues.