>> You're assuming that govt is interested in the economy as a whole. I don't know about Australia, so I'll accept your assertion that the Australian govt is co

>> You're assuming that govt is interested in the economy as a whole. I don't know about Australia, so I'll accept your assertion that the Australian govt is concerned about the economy as a whole, but the US govt isn't. > That's quite a bold statement! How about some evidence? ;) You quoted one bit "You don't understand - the loose standards in the US for mortgages came from govt, not banks." Another is regulatory "encouragement" for banks to hold fannie and freddie stock; that put them all at risk.