If you’re a public employee in California, your pension can only get better, never worse. That’s because of something called the California Rule – a legal decision that says that benefits once given, can never be taken away. That iron-clad guarantee is good for public workers, but it’s been a back breaker for the state, according to Zocalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews. He says that by keeping this promise to our pensioners, the state has ignored many other promises, like educating our kids.