Old Sarge wrote: Veterans weigh in?
I think you two are talking about different animals.
The "public service" defined-benefit pensions are the radioactive time bomb.
I wouldn't consider a military veteran's lifetime pension in the same category, unless the military is, or begins pulling the same sort of pension-pumping shenanigans that goes on in state & local gruberment.
Plus, I don't think you're required to get shot at if ordered when you're working for the local city water department.
California and New York are two of the states NOTORIOUS for public sector pension-pumping, but there are a number of other blue states doing it.
Here's an example from Michigan, which got rid of defined-benefit pensions years ago (but still has numerous grandfathered pension hogs lined up at the public trough):
(Michigan) Teacher Union President In Line for Six-Figure Government Pension
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3271961/posts
NJ is notorious for this; completely unsustainable. If we were to fully fund our pension obligations, masses of current public employees would be on the street. That’s probably what should happen anyway; the state has reduced the amounts fed into the welfare reservations, and they’ve been laying off a lot of employees.