G8, G20 Meetings Come To A Close

We always knew this past weekend's G20 and G8 meetings were going to be a farce, but it was interesting to witness how much of a farce they actually were. Targets were set to cut deficits, targets were cut to impose heavier taxes on banks, and targets were set to regulate derivatives. Notice how none of these things were actually done — they were simply suggested. That's the way the G20 and G8 meetings go. They don't do anything. They just suggest things, most of which never go into effect.

To ice the cake, mass arrests were made of protesters who couldn't tolerate the G20's inability to do anything. These protesters were seeking a far different referendum than what most conservatives would seek, and made their message clear by blowing up cars, breaking windows, and spraying graffiti all over Toronto. While the arrests contained the situation, it still made for some pretty bad optics during the world's biggest international meeting. Then again, bad optics is pretty much the name of the game when you're talking about the G8 and G20.