Being employed by the federal government is not in and of itself a stupid game. I get the sense that you interpreted my post as that which is not what I said or implied.
However, thinking that your pension and Medicare alone will support your retirement would be pretty dumb. Fortunately, it sounds like you are not making that mistake. Contrast that with a recent stat that some 20% of federal retirees will enter retirement with more than $25K in unsecured debt; 10% will owe more than 100K on their mortgage. That Sir, is a very stupid game.