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Re "This time, let's get state pension reform done right," commentary by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dec.. 28: The reason state pension and health benefits are better than the private sector's is that state salaries are below the private sector, significantly so at upper levels. For decades, legislators and governors of both parties have saved money in yearly budgets by not paying fair market salaries, at a cost to future generations in the form of pension and health payments. Does this sound familiar? State salaries are insufficient to attract quality employees without the pension and health plans. I would support pension and health benefits changes linked with salary reform, so that all three were more in line with the private sector. However, you can be sure that Republicans, including the governor, will focus only on the pension and health benefits and ignore the salary issue. They couldn't care less about the state's ability to attract quality employees. Democrats are more likely to focus on the underlying problems of salaries and employee recruitment, but they, too, respond to the siren call of putting off current costs into the future. I'd be surprised if anything positive comes out of the governor's benefits commission.