Michelle Obama stumps in Missouri LOUIS, March 6 (UPI) -- First lady Michelle Obama laid groundwork for her husband's presidential re-election campaign in Missouri Monday by appealing to the working class. Obama appeared in Kansas City and St. Louis where she told a crowd of Democratic supporters at the Peabody Opera House that the November election was a "crossroads" moment for the United States. "Will we be the country where opportunity is limited to just the few at the top, or will we be a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead, no matter who you are or how you started out?" she said. She gave a rundown of initiatives the Obama administration had undertaken to help out blue-collar and middle-class voters, such as healthcare reform, tax breaks for small businesses and creation of a consumer watchdog agency for the financial industry. "I know you're here because we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country," she told the audience. You're here because you know that in less than a year from now -- the time is ticking, we're getting close to November -- we are going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come. In Kansas City, Obama began her speech with some words for people in areas of the Midwest that were effected by last week's tornadoes. "I know that it's been a very difficult time for many people in this part of the country -- and we'll be keeping folks here in Missouri and elsewhere in our hearts and prayers as they begin to work on the recovery," she said.