I hope that the future public servants who begin their careers in the School will tomorrow be serving effectively not only in the bureaus and departments of the Federal Government and the Congress but also in city halls and court houses and state capitols—not only in Texas but in every region in the country. Above all, I hope that as they master new techniques and disciplines to improve the machinery of government, they will still build their careers of service around a dedication to one of the most cherished principles of our democracy: the greatest good for the greatest number (Lyndon B. Johnson, May 22, 1971). Given high standards of living and modern medicine, there seems to be no inherent limit to how long humans can live. In the United States, the population is rapidly aging, and life expectancy has reached historical highs. By 2040, 20% of individuals will be 65 or older (The Administration on Aging, 2021). Those who reach 65 could live more than 20 years longer (Kochanek et al., 2020). If current trends continue and existing policies and programs are unchanged, the Social Security Trust Fund will be depleted by 2034 (Social Security Administration, 2022); Medicare’s trust fund will go broke by 2028 (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Boards of Trustees, 2022); and Medicaid’s funding for long-term care for low-income older adults will consume an ever-increasing portion of state budgets (The Commonwealth Fund, 2020). To make matters worse, a lack of personal savings among working-age Americans means that many will be unable to finance their own retirement (Angel, 2018a). Despite early warning signs, these obligations represent a fiscal freight train that is bearing down on families and the state.