The papers are reporting that executives at former investment bank Goldman Sachs will not ask for or take bonuses this year. Goldman is now a financial services holding company under the wing of the Federal Reserve. My only question, dear readers, is this: How big a bonus are you supposed to get when your profits are down 70% through three quarters and it looks like a loss for the fourth? The good news here is maybe some of the other former Wall Street masters of the universe will do the same. To mix a few sensory metaphors, though, most of these guys are tone-deaf; meanwhile, the optics of excessive executive compensation in the current financial crisis just aren't that good (Washington Post: Growing Sense Of Outrage Over Executive Pay).