Economist: In today' s post-industrial economy, higher education is essential for achieving prosperity. Without a college degree or higher, citizens do not have access to the highest quartile of salaries, and only individuals earning salaries in this highest quartile have enough disposable income to buy real estate and invest in long term assets. The argument assumes that ['everyone in the highest quartile of salaries lives in a house that he or she owns', 'understanding what prosperity is, from a college-educated perspective, is essential to achieving it', 'all the jobs in the highest quartile of salaries require skills that are always covered as part of a college education', 'prosperity has to include ownership of real estate or long term assets.']