This post was written by freshman Lyndsey Wajert, a Hatchet columnist.

While talking to reporters this past Wednesday, President Obama expressed his surprise at how easily the city of Washington seems to be crippled by inclement weather. Ironically enough, he digressed from the topic of the stormy economic climate to discuss the actual climate: but was this actually an intentional move on his part?

According to the Washington Post, President Obama was joking with reporters before meeting with business leaders, saying “My children’s school was canceled today, because of what? Some ice? . . . We’re going to have to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to this town.”

GW’s new neighbor has a point. The slippery roads were not as treacherous as many D.C. natives may have feared, and the mere dusting of snow in no way resembled the many inches forecasters originally predicted.

Yet, I found it interesting that the President brought up the weather amidst a discussion of the far-from-sunny economy. How many times have we heard him say we face a long, daunting road? How many times has he urged the American people to be ready for a financially perilous year?

Just this past Saturday, the President stated that “The road to recovery demands that we all act responsibly, from Main Street to Washington to Wall Street,” while reiterating a warning that the US economy “is likely to get worse before it gets better.” Should we then apply that vaunted “Chicago toughness” to our wallets or better yet, our morale for the next few months?

I believe that we should, and that President Obama is essentially saying the same. If members of Washington’s elite are afraid of a little snow and ice, how will they be able to handle a potentially cold and stormy recession?

President Obama’s humorous remarks may be yet another tactful but subtle way of urging Americans to brace themselves for a battering in 2009. After all, a shovel and a bag of salt will likely not fix this mess.