[jacoblyles]

But pension problems are not just a legacy issue. Payments have increased recklessly in recent years. California's 3% at 50 law, which allows many public employees to retire with 3% of their final pay for every year worked at age 50, was passed in 1999. In 2005, BussinessWeek found that state and local pension obligations increased by 50% over the previous 5 years (source: http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/12/class-war).