I do understand this sentiment, to an extent. The reality is that all the banks participate in the same job market and need to compete to attract and retain talent. If a bank (regardless of bail-out status) does not compensate employees competitively, it will fail to attract and retain the necessary talent and as such fail to perform. The only way a bank could still succeed without paying bonuses is if all banks did the same thing. Don't hate the player, hate the game.