(MONEY Magazine) – Thanks so much for October's investigation of the lavish lifestyle of governors, "Stately Splendor: How Our Governors Live It Up." Why should a governor have access to two cars, two planes and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to maintain a huge mansion? How can taxpayers get ahead, and how can the U.S. get out of debt if such exorbitant spending isn't stopped? I'm all for good compensation for a job well done but not outrageous compensation for what so often is merely mediocre work. Gail M. Abbuhl Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

I conducted a study to learn what role, if any, economic theory plays in determining compensation for governors. To find out if compensation was based on the market value of a governor's productivity, I set forth various measurements of productivity, including the state's average personal per capita income. I also measured job difficulty, reasoning that the larger the population, the greater the difficulty of the job and the greater the governor's compensation should be. What I learned was that economic theory is not much of a factor in the compensation of governors. Rather, the real determinant is the propensity of bureaucrats to vote for self-mandated pay increases and perks. Troy Gumz Long Grove, Iowa

You are unfair to Maryland's William Donald Schaefer in describing him as "the most pampered governor in America." Gov. Schaefer is a workaholic who has never married, devoting himself instead to public service. Dee Truesdell LaVale, Md.

Thank you for sharing with the nation what Marylanders have known all along. By the way, while our governor leads a lavish lifestyle, he has denied us state employees a pay raise for the past three years. Positions that require a master's degree start as low as $22,360. Out of fear for my job, I ask you to not reveal my name. Name withheld Myersville, Md.