Here are a few comments on our recent 'Even A Chimpanzee Could Run Goldman Sachs' item, which ponders whether the structure of the financial system itself is mainly responsible for Goldman's strong earnings, and that bonuses should therefore be capped to reflect this.

1. 'Yes, kudos to Goldman for paying back the TARP $ and posting an excellent quarter, but let's not forget that the firm was a major recipient of government bailout $ given to AIG. AIG was merely a conduit to get $ to other firms'.

2. 'Yes, Goldman is probably smarter and better managed than its peers, but that is small consolation to the taxpayers who are on the hook for literally trillions to keep the financial system afloat'.

3. 'Failure should be punished, and, conversely, success should be rewarded. A chimpanzee could not run Goldman Sachs'.

4. 'Goldman Sachs was not responsible for the credit mess, and shouldn't be overly penalized for the poor decisions of others'.

5. 'The editor seems to be repeatedly missing the point. Regardless of the fact that, in this instance, Goldman was not in a position where it directly needed taxpayer support, it's business model is based on the fact that it doesn't have the same sort of downside risk as other companies operating in different sectors - because it can reasonably rely on the taxpayer stepping in if it is ever in real trouble. As such, it should have it's wings clipped on the upside as well'.

6. 'Goldman (and the other firms) only became too big to fail because of sloppy government oversight. If you want to point the finger at someone, blame the government, not Goldman'.

7. The problem with the reader, as it is with all other critics of Goldman's success, is that he / she offers no solutions - just strident complaints. Other firms are, and were, positioned just like Goldman. The worst ones are now gone. Goldman is a success story. And success needs to be rewarded. Penalizing success is not a smart move'.

8. 'I don't deny that there are many clever people working at Goldman, but not nearly as clever enough in all cases to justify the level of bonuses'.

9. 'The industry as a collective should foot the bill for what it has done at a systemic level. I would like to see the industry spend the next couple of decades pumping all profits back into the community'.

Even A Chimpanzee Could Run Goldman Sachs

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