Can you think of any good solutions to the societal problems that longer lifespans are predicted to cause?

The only solutions I can see for this is to raise the retirement age considerably and to stress the importance of planning for financial security in retirement. I am not sure that the rather extravagant, pleasure oriented and self satisfied non productiveness that has become rather prevalent as the picture of retirement in the last couple decades is necessarily the right way to go. I think we may need to continue to be participants in our welfare until such time as we are physically or mentally incapable.

What a prescient book! Gemany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is seriously contemplating taxing the 'young' an additional tax to help pay for the very lucrative pensions and government retirement programs for the 'olds'in her country. Our present admisistration thinks that taxing the '1%' will solve that problem here. Both are living in some sort of la-la land. If Mr. O decided to try Germany's idea, we would have rioting and demonstations in the streets. But, after the '1%' money runs out (and doesn't solve anything) he may have to try the alternative.
That said, Mr. Brooks isn't just talking about the problems caused because people live longer...he is talking about a country that no longer pays it's debts, curbs it's spending, fails to solve problems of ANY kind, promises monetary solutions it has NO money for, doesn't even try to balance a budget, borrows well beyond it's ability to pay off loans and on and on and on!

jww is right. Brooks is talking about a society that continues to ignore its responsibilities. The problem isn't really in who or how we will pay to take care of our elders, it is in how the country promotes development and is fiscally responsible. We can look at a microcosm in our society now in education. Take the typical school district and the proportion of money spent on typical students and special education students. I'm not saying we shouldn't be education special ed students, but for the government to develop mandates and then leave the local taxpayers to foot the bill is ludicrous. It seems in Brooks' 2030, this system has been exaggerated to the point where we just borrow and borrow and stop looking at what is and isn't working.

The defense budget is MUCH bigger than what it costs to fund SSN and education and welfare and all of it. Those funds could be better spent.

Bevula...According to Wikipedia (not always completely reliable, I grant), the US Federal Spending for 2010 included these amounts: Defense Department - $689 Billion; Medicare/Medical - $793 Billion; Social Security - $701 Billion. These figures are probably slightly different because of the interim 2 years but they are close. So, as you see, the defense budget is the least of the three not 'MUCH bigger'. It is my opinion that ALL of these monies could be better and more efficiently spent.

At the very least we need to encourage people to make their end of life decisions while they're able, have a living will if they wish, and write down how they wish to be cared for.