August 30, 2013   Just about all numbers you see reported on public pensions come from actuarial consultants hired by the government, whose work accords with “industry convention.”  That’s very comforting to most taxpayers and reporters, lawmakers learned long ago. John Bury, an actuary and critic of his industry, says “industry convention” for public plan actuaries consists of five rules:   1. Keep contributions low.   2. Make valuation reports difficult to understand.   3. Keep contributions low.   4. Get paid as much as possible.   5. Keep contributions low.   Elegantly simple, no?   Keeping contributions low