Wayne Swan frustrates me

I know he's trying as the new treasurer, but he sounds like a broken record with his "banks who raise interest rates above the RBA rate will be punished/mortgagers will be able to switch banks more easily."

Do you really think many people can just switch their hundreds of thousands in loans just at the drop of a hat? Do you think that banks won't impose penalties for rescinding the contract early? And most of all, I think the saying "the lesser of two evils" encapsulates best what I'm about to say, if all the banks are bumping up their rates, who are the poor families going to switch to???

Really Wayne, I mean c'mon, that's just empty rhetoric.

I'm mindful of not bagging the banks either. I understand they have a higher cost of capital now due to the sub-prime crisis, and I understand (at the risk of sounding like a fat capitalist) that they need to deliver profits to their shareholders, which explains (nb. not necessarily justifies) the higher interest rates.

I'm still of the notion that raising interest rates is not the best way to tackle inflation. Raising interest rates means higher repayments for people who've borrowed to buy property (the majority) which means higher rent, which comes back again to increase inflation - the very thing we're trying to decrease! On that note, even though I have investment property, the Government would do well to drastically increase the supply of housing as the reason why we have such high rents is because there is a MASSIVE under-supply. All the strugglers out there renting are having a really tough time.

I suggest less tax cuts. A lot of the concessions are to wealthy investors or business owners - important to the vote and hence who the politicians can't afford to piss off. It's seen as a "no-go" for the Rudd government because if he goes back on the promises he made during the election, he will be flayed. But by reducing tax concessions, this means the money goes back to the Government and they can sit tight on it until inflation comes down to an acceptable level, without having the effects of increasing rents does - higher inflation and angry strugglers.

homebody

sooo glad i've submitted my EP, a whole day and a half early! yay!

and even though it's a sunday, it means i can enjoy my monday of this long easter weekend.

was gonna watch a movie tonight but ppl are either sick, busy or not up for a movie. but thought about a movie i really wanna watch and i dont think there are too many out there at the moment. thought "Paranoid Park" was still showing but doesn't seem to be showing anywhere which i was very disappointed about. Gus van Sant, it must be good!

my favourite directors have to be Quentin Tarantino and Gus van Sant with Jean-Luc Goddard coming a close 3rd.

glorious food

i think it's been ages since i last posted.

mm i like food.

sushi/sashimi is good at Suzuran in camberwell - proximity to my home and generous portions of fish is a plus. fav handrolls have got to be without a doubt Kenzan at GPO. soft shell crab me any day! i like Ayame on glenferrie rd malvern, and my fav japanese dessert is daifuku. best steak i've ever had was in west village, NYC at a restaurant called "Nero". for a simple yet hearty steak, can't go past Hog's Breath in chadstone - if you're hungry that's the place to go. give the 700g steak a shot, you have to try it once in your lifetime. i did, and almost died (seriously). for all that authentic asian food, any hawker store in Singapore will do. oh i crave the chicken rice and nasi lemak. $1 will get you a massive mug of sugar cane drink. DAYAM. i also like cold horlicks. and green tea ice cream is the best. golden gaytimes are my fav on a stick, and in a tub you can't beat homer hudson. as an aussie i love vegemite on cruskits. and i love my organic stuff - dried raisins and cranberries. go Macro Wholefoods! for a healthy way to start the day - muesli hands down. dried mangoes is also a favourite, esp the sour-ish ones you can get from QLD omggg. now we get to the good stuff - chocolate. for all the fanciness, snobbery and pretentiousness in the chocolate industry, i choose cadbury dairy milk chocolate over any other chocolate in the world, easily. other than that it's gotta be tim-tams, kit kat, twirl, flake (mint as well), mint aero and twix. timeout and mars bars are good too. godiva's pretty good but prob not worth the price tag, lindt's a bit too oily for my liking but i'll still eat it of course. donuts - any donut that's jam filled, i love it. chicken and lamb souvlaki at Stalactites on lonsdale st - awesome for the late, late night munchies. for "cheap, cheap" go to chinatown for dodgy dumplings. $8 will fill you up, share a plate of dumplings (pork, beef, chicken), steamed or fried and then a plate of shanghai noodles. oh yeah. pies, pies, pies, must go the Boscastle brand which can be found in David Jones. my picks? beef and guiness or beef and burgundy. also have to try the spinach and ricotta rolls...mmm. for the expensive dessert, cakes and pastries try Laurent, they're quality. moving back to meals, for a true American experience you MUST try out Soda Rock. make sure you get a milkshake with malt as well coz that's the only place in melb so far that actually put good old fashioned American "malt" in their shakes. speaking of the land of the free, best burgers ive had are at In-And-Out Burger, LA. locally, must try out Andrew's Burgers in albert park. love my granny smiths, peaches and mangoes. also a fan of the durian. jackfruit smoothie is awesome, goes well with pho - try Proud Peacock in glen waverley. broken rice is awesome too, best one ever was in Footscray somewhere near the station.

lastly gotta mention the wonderful home-cooked food i've had. shoutouts to my fav home chefs out there - granny, mum, aunty ivy, aunty winnie, brian, ailz, sarah. good on ya brian, flying the flag solo for the boys - a true man knows how to feed himself. lovely.