What Happened to the "Hope" in "Hope & Change?"

President Obama said Friday the deepening recession is a "continuing disaster"....

Buried in the article: "For all of 2008, the economy grew by just 1.3 percent." (emphasis mine)

I thought that a gain is a good thing!

At the end of the article: "The savings rate rose to 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter."

Again, for years we were told we did not save enough. Now, apparently, saving is a bad thing. While the lefties think we are probably doing it purpose, just to spite the new president. I think (and I've talked to A LOT of people) most people are hoarding their cash because they don't know what is coming next from this administration. They hear all the doom & gloom and even if they have not already lost their job now, they believe they soon will, so they have to save to prepare for what is coming.

I just spent a couple days at a trade show and I can tell you in talking to manufacturer's in the crowd, everyone is frozen in fear; them and their customers. No one wants to spend any money, because they know their taxes are going to increase, they know regulations are going to get more restrictive and that labor costs will start to increase.

Could Obama be doing this on purpose? Does he want there to be a crisis, so his HUGE government solutions will be passed even more easily? What do you think?