Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!! Goldman Sachs last year had a $850 million profit , which they given there employees bonuses, plus the CEO's recieved his millions paycheck and bonuses . He stood on the news bragging about his penthouse and homes he had . They're rich , they recieved there GOLDEN PARACHUTES all these years ....I don't feel sorry for NONE OF THEM AT ALL ....selfish CEO's ....take your millions out of the bank , to keep your company afloat . Stop depending on TAXPAYERS to bail you out .....This is your own fault .......sell your mansions , luxury cars , and anything else you've . Sell the jewerly , oil paintings , etcccc ...

Quote from article: "the cash component of their year-end packages capped at $400,000." They will get the balance of their pay in stock and options."

If it wasn't such a travesty, then this would be laughable.

Under the existing situation where MILLIONS of Americans have been defrauded and impoverished by the INCOMPETENT and CORRUPT actions by these people, their being paid the "paultry sums" maximizing out at $400K, plus "whatever", is a BLATANT TRAVESTY against our nation and the American people.

Many, if not most of these peope are "mini-Madoffs" to varying degrees. I certainly have no empathy of their having to sell their "mansions" and to greatly reduce their standards of living. These who orchestrated, and oversaw the FRAUDS of the "derivatives", the pyramid and Ponzi schemes should be bing confronted with indictments and imprisonment . . . and the seizesure of their properties.

How many of these people are going to "cash out" and move out of the USA to avoid prosecution? There may be a surprising number of them who do this.

Wealth, in and of itself, is not bad or evil . . . it can be virtuous. However, gaining wealth by FRAUD is a CRIME, a crime that MUST BE PUNISHED SEVERELY.

The German people who worked in the worst segments of the Nazi regime were not allowed to use the excuse that they were just "employees and/or soldiers 'doing their duties'". Likewise, the CEOs and the UPPERMANAGEMENT PERSONNEL who have orchestrated and overseen the DEFRAUDING of Americans by pyramid and Ponzi schemes should NOT be able to use the excuse that "they wre just employees who were 'just doing their jobs'" is indefensible from a moral and legal standpoint. These people WERE KNOWINGLY COMPLICIT IN THESE MASSIVE PREMEDITATE FELONIOUS FRAUDS.

THAT is the crux of what we are confronted with . . . It is equivalent to holding those Germans responsible for what they did during the Nuremberg Trials. Only this time it is for "Capitalist Crimes" that are devastating the lives of HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of people . . . resulting in dire economic conditions, homelessness, hunger, desperation, etc.

There may not have been gas chambers and genocide of the Nazis; but look at all of the other dire results. It is almost unfathomable.

We have reached a point of "revolution" in the sense that we, as a society, must purge our FIs, our corporations, and our government of these CORRUPT INDIVIDUALS . . . there are many well qualified and eager people who can replace these "economic criminals". This is now the time for the "remaking" of reasonably regulated American capitalism for the "good of our nation and the people".

It's time to "let the chips fall wherever they may fall". Any CEO and/or uppermanagement people who were COMPLICIT in orchestrating and perpetuting these crimes should be prosecuted . . . and like Madoff, they should have their properties confiscated to help pay for the economic damage that they have helped to cause.

Yes, many of these people who gained their wealth by nefarious means may become impoverished . . . they deserve to be impoverished for their crimes. Like Madoff, they don't have the assests to pay fully for their crimes . . . extensive prison terms should be meted out to many of them.

(How are they and their families any different from those that they have helped to impoverish?)

Quote from article: "Wall St. runs the risk of the retirement or defection of some of its best people because they are being put into the same bucket as many of the worst people."

"Good people" should not have to worry about any of this . . . good men are always in high demand; and will be especially in the future. Everyone should be able to stand on the merits of what they have done. If some of these "best men" gave in and became complicit in FRAUDULENT matters, then their failure to stand up for what was ethically and legally right has played a negative part in the criminal aspect of these business enterprises.

As is said: " 'Evil' exists and persists because "good men" do nothing (sic. to prevent or to counter it)."

Even by IRS "standards", an employee cannot use the "excuse" that they were threatened or intimidated by the threat, actural or implied, into participating in FRAUD or losing their jobs. They ALWAYS have the choice and right to leave employment of a company involved in criminal activity.

Should the corporate upper managment personnel be "judged by or held to a different standard" than what applies to ALL EMPLOYEES? I think not.

It is time to purge our corporations of the CORRUPT individuals . . . to indict, to prosecute, to heavily fine, and to imprison them commensurate to the crimes that they have committed. (And yes, this WILL result in a redistribution of some of the ill gotten 'wealth' in our nation.

Without prosection of the guilty, there is no deterrence for future such criminal business practices.

Just as the SEC's blatantly failed to "discover" the Ponzi scheme with Madoff's funds in spite of numerous "legitimate complaints" that were filed with the SEC, what about ALL of the claims, charges, and warning by Congressmen on the floors of both the Senate and the House of Representatives about the dire projections in regard to Fannie, Freddie, AIG, etc. in regard to the "insolvency" that was being created by the "derivatives", etc.?

It is apparent that the SEC has intentionally overlooked more than the complaints about Madoff. BUT there were Congressmen such as Barnie Frank (D-MA), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Ms Pelosi, Mr. Reid, Mr. Dodd, etc. who VEHEMENTLY FOUGHT AGAINST, and VOTED AGAINST implementing basic reasonable "oversight and regulation" by the Fed, the SEC, and other regualltory agencies against those involved with teh "derivaties", the pyramid and Ponzi schemes.

And the heck of it all is that the VAST MAJORITY of CONGRESS also voted against implementing basic minimal "oversight and regulation" of the FIs, the corporations, and the markets/funds.

It appears that the vast majority of our government and financial enterprises have been complicit in these pyramid and ponzi schemes. They even have the emails of some of the management people fulling documenting that THEY, the "insiders", knew what was going on
. . . even as they lied and make misrepresentation to the public to invest more and more into the markets.

Could this be considered as being some type of "reverse insider trading".

Shouldn't the Fed and the SEC have been looking at these "blatant complaints" by the few Congressmen who had the political integrity and ethics to address these matters in Congress?

These corporations are no diffeerent than Madoff's funds . . . and the SEC and Congress' scrutiny of all of this was just as INCOMPETENT and CORRUPT as in the Madoff case.

We have to purge our businesses, Congress, and our regulatory agencies of this blatant corruption in order to restore the INTEGRITY, and the "fatih and confidence" of the American people . . . otherwise they are NOT going to invest in the markets and funds to refuel and to stimulate our economy.