It has always been clear that a college graduate could make more money than a high school graduate but new research is showing that college degree holders and their families are generally more happy and healthy than those with just a high school diploma.

The money equation has never been simpler math. A college graduate will make on average twice as much per year than a high school graduate. Over an average working lifetime that will add up to a million dollar gap in earning power. A person with a masters degree can make triple the money and a doctorate will bring in as much as four times the income as a high school diploma.

But the intangible value of a college education have long been in doubt and debated widely. Now studies are showing a remarkable list of quality of life benefits that accrue to college graduates versus their high school only counterparts.

That list includes longer life spans, better access to health care, and

better dietary and health practices. In other words, better overall health. But the list also includes things that make people happier. Things like greater Internet access, greater attendance at live performances, greater participation in leisure and artistic activities and more book purchases.

A college education makes better citizens as well. College graduates have less dependency on government assistance, lower levels of criminal activity and incarceration, greater community service and leadership, and more volunteer work. Who would you rather have living next to you, a high school graduate or someone with a university degree?

Knowledge is indeed power and not every college graduate is a saint and not every person with only a high school education is a sinner. But it appears that those who have more knowledge do less damage to their society on average and contribute a great deal more. One only need look at societies where education was banned to see the result.

The other intangible but real impact of a college education is on the children of those who complete a college degree program. Once the door has been opened they gladly follow through. They end up improving their own lives and their children's lives as well. Just as welfare pulls children under, education lifts them higher.

Not everyone can attend university or college for a wide range or reasons that are almost all related to finances. But every year more of those barriers get knocked down and more and more students walk through. Knowing what we know now, wouldn't this be an even greater country if everybody who wanted to could have a college education?