Deficit/debts were at the apex of the G20 summit in Toronto. Canadian PM Stephen Harper convinced his fellow world leaders to slash their deficits in half by 2013. The countries have great leeway on how to do this, especially if their economies continue to suffer.
U.S. President Barack Obama weaved that tapestry carefully, knowing full well that the U.S. economy is in much worse shape than Canada's. Obama did commit to cutting the deficit in half by 2013, but did note that "we have to make sure we're not rushing too quickly to the exits and all at the same time ... Our fiscal health tomorrow will rest in no small measure on our ability to create jobs today."
Things the G20 world leaders could do to jumpstart those economies were a missed opportunity for them to help people who just need a chance, in the United States, Canada, and other major countries.
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For those who think Canadians are mild and meek might have their minds changed by what they saw in Toronto over the weekend. The violence, the clashes, the smashed windows. But if you look closely, there was a lot more to what happened in the streets in downtown Toronto.
Close to 900 people were arrested over the weekend, but many of them weren't protesters, and weren't anywhere near the actual G20 summit. This first-hand account from a Globe and Mail journalist shows the police action in a different light.
Lisan Jutras wasn't even working the protests or the G20 summit, but got trapped and penned in around Queen Street West and Spadina. I can personally vouch that this area is nowhere near where the G20 met. The boundaries may have been exaggerated, though regular people would have thought that this area would be safe. They weren't.
The CBC reported that "Freelance journalist Jesse Rosenfeld alleged he was beaten by police Saturday night as he was at a non-violent protest on The Esplanade, a downtown Toronto street."
There were also allegations that undercover police added to the violence.
It should be noted that while it's good to have sufficient people to deal with protesters, the estimated allotment of security personnel is 19,000, which if true, would be nearly 5 times the number at the G20 in Pittsburgh last year. You can have too many people, especially if they are looking for something to do.
The reaction to even legitimate, non-violent protests has been harsh and underreported in the MSM. Toronto, and Canada, deserved better treatment for the press.
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The Toronto Blue Jays ended up losing 2 of 3 games in its "homestand" in Philadelphia. Sunday's game was a humiliating 11-2 defeat. The Blue Jays committed a season-high 4 errors, leading to 6 unearned runs. Perhaps there were too many cheesesteaks and not enough peameal bacon.
Vernon Wells' 2-run homer was Toronto's offense. Admittedly, the Phillies are a powerful enough team, and you had to figure that Halladay would have beaten Toronto anywhere, but this was the game the Blue Jays figured they could have won had the game been played in Toronto.
The Blue Jays continue their road trip, yet will go back to being the road team in a stadium, traveling to Cleveland. The northern Ohio MLB team is having a bad year.
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