Public employee pensions have become an easy target.
News about troubled pension systems in other states lets opponents of public pensions paint all government systems with the same brush.
But what has happened in other states is not happening in New York.
New York's pension system is financially sound and sustainable, and it's still the best way to provide secure retirement benefits for the State's public employees.
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli: "All public pension systems are not equal. 
The advantage we have in New York is that we have a well-funded, strong public pension system; our investments continue to do well."
The recent financial meltdown has reverberated throughout New York's economy and the pension system is no exception.
"It's true the contribution rates are going up and that's a consequence of the severe market decline in 2008 and 2009, but the good news is that we're on the road to recovery, and if you look at the long history of the Fund, we've always weathered difficult economic times - we'll get through this tough time as well."
Still some critics have suggested sweeping changes to New York's pension system, like offering 401K-style individual investment accounts instead of a defined benefit pension.
Comptroller DiNapoli says not so fast.
"Dollar for dollar, defined benefit plans are more cost-effective, and certainly do a better job of providing retirement security. 
401K-style plans come with a greater cost, there's greater risk involved, and I think we need to keep in mind when retirees are secure with the pension that they are receiving and with their economic security, they're more likely to stay in the state, live in the state and spend their money in the state, recycling billions of dollars back into our economy."
Due to misleading reports in the media, you may think that every State and local retiree gets a huge pension payout, but here are the true statistics:
For all the tales of bloated pensions, less than one-half of one percent of retirees receive more than one hundred thousand dollars per year;
The average pension is just over nineteen thousand dollars per year;
Seventy-six percent of retirees receive less than thirty thousand dollars annually;
And one-in-five retirees, nearly seventy thousand receive less than five thousand dollars a year.
Comptroller DiNapoli wants New Yorkers to know that the New York State and Local Retirement System works, that it has worked for ninety years and will continue working for many years to come. 
The changes he's made have made a difference.
"I've instituted a series of reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the pension fund. 
The Fund is safe and secure, and we're working each and every day to keep it that way for our current retirees and those working men and women who look forward to being retirees in the future."