First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign on childhood obesity may do some good, but I don’t like the feel of it. What makes the fatness of children the business of federal authority?

The White House's announcement tries to make that connection without clearly saying so. One way it does this is with the word, “epidemic.” Using that word compares the gaining of weight to diseases like malaria, SARS or the bird flu. The federal government clearly has a responsibility to try to protect the nation from epidemics of contagious disease. But fatness is not a disease, except in cases of unusual metabolism, which are in any case not contagious.

The document also tries to attach the First Lady’s cause to “national security” by saying that “obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.” If too many teenagers are too fat to join the Army, then the fatness of every teenager becomes a federal concern. (But if the Army has a recruitment problem, isn't it more likely to be because of an unpopular war?)

And then, of course, there is the cost argument: Obesity adds X-amount each year to the costs of providing medical care, and those costs are largely socialized. That argument is a favorite of nannies, because it makes any personal decision that raises risk (smoking, riding a bike without a helmet, etc.) a public concern, and therefore subject to regulation.

I’m not arguing that it’s good for kids to be fat. I’m arguing against the federal-government-as-parent. Give me information--fine. Manage my life—no.

I can accept mandatory nutritional labeling. Under this new initiative, the Food and Drug Administration will adopt new front-of-package labeling. I don’t know that it has to be on the front of the package. My only complaint with the existing labels is the disingenuous use of “serving size” to make the calories seem small.

The Obama initiative also includes a program to combat “food deserts,” which are poor neighborhoods that don’t have a grocery store selling fresh produce and meat. This is the first time I’ve seen the phrase, “food deserts” in the United States. I remember it from this Theodore Dalrymple piece from 2002, which mocked the notion of “food deserts” in Britain. Dalrymple argued that neighborhoods have the kind of stores their residents demand and support, and I think he is right.