Stephen Beale took a look at government retirees who keep working:

At least 11 retirees in the state pension system had their benefits suspended over the last six years for breaking rules on how much work is permitted during retirement, according to documents the state Treasurer’s office provided in response to a public records request. …

In 2014, approximately 450 retired teachers, nurses, college educators, municipal, and state retirees worked one or more days for a local or state agency.

My statement, in the article, is that the entire retirement system is set up as a sort of abuse.  Nothing stops retirees from taking up second jobs outside of government, where their baseline income and, often, benefits give them an edge in the marketplace, versus us private-sector schmoes whose work has to support us fully and lay the basis for our own retirement someday (theoretically).

If government pensioners weren’t retiring in their late middle age (or earlier), their continuing to pick up a little bit of light additional work wouldn’t be an issue.