There are two groups of people letting the state government make those promises: citizens, and investors. Citizens and their representatives aren't paying atte

There are two groups of people letting the state government make those promises: citizens, and investors. Citizens and their representatives aren't paying attention, don't care about pension issues, or don't understand them/aren't having the costs explained. Investors are buying bonds from the state either without performing due diligence or assuming that the state will get bailed out if they do run out of money.