Are Pensions Merely Ponzi Schemes?

As one of the Canada Post unions moves to disrupt the Canadian Postal system, I think now is a great time to discuss Defined Benefit (DB) Pensions which is the main issue for the union. Most private companies have moved to a Defined Contribution (DC) system; why? DB pensions are eerily similar to Ponzi schemes moving some to call DB pensions “legalized Ponzi schemes” (where the taxpayer bails out the “last in” pensioner and the company offering the DB pension goes into bankruptcy). FiduciaryNews.com published an enlightening article on Aug 28, 2014 that dives deeper into this question:

http://www.fiduciarynews.com/2014/08/are-pensions-merely-ponzi-schemes/

What do you think? Do you think it’s fair for a small group of people’s lifestyle to be funded by the Canadian Taxpayer?

I personally do not believe this is fair, and in 1999 when I was offered the choice between DB or DC pension (the last year DB was offered at the company I worked at), I chose a DC pension. In all honesty, I would rather no pension* as I have since learned of a way to not depend on any pension system which I talk about here:

https://textor.ca/2016/08/avoiding-the-doomed-retirement-feeling-how-to-correct-your-investments-in-your-favor/

This above mentioned method is both responsible to other people (tax payers) and has the upside benefit of enabling more money to people in retirement than an equivalent DB pension (assuming the person starts the strategy when they enter the workforce and let it run for 25+ years like a DB pension would do). The method has been stress tested by people who have lived on the poverty line and still were able to use the strategy successfully.

* Pensions in the truest sense are government legislated rules to force people to save for retirement; the underlying assumption is that people are not capable of being responsible for their own future. Therefore, the government needs to step in with rules so people don’t blow their own foot off and leave the government and other people with a huge liability as people age.