Goldman's superficial concessions on pay won't fool an angry nation

What business does America have complaining about how much bankers get paid? Surely we can't operate a free-market economy if the average person gets a say on how a company pays its workers.

If you believe that, you're absolutely right. But that's not stopping Goldman Sachs Group (GS) from bowing to pressure from pay critics. Now, if only Goldman could satisfy the American public.

Why are so many Americans so angry? Because they know that the free market -- which supposedly rewards success and punishes failure -- does not determine the fate of the biggest firms, only the small ones that can't buy influence in Washington.