Read a Book & Live Longer?

 I am sure many of you read the article: "Education: A Predictor of Longer Life"

The article included these quotes:

"The lifelong relationships of education and its correlates with health and longevity are striking," the article said. "Education exerts its direct beneficial effects on health through the adoption of healthier lifestyles, better ability to cope with stress, and more effective management of chronic diseases. However, the indirect effects of education through access to more privileged social position, better-paying jobs, and higher income are also profound."

and

"While the findings are good news for educated Americans, they also indicate that medical and lifestyle breakthroughs that have triggered the much-publicized longevity revolution are not being enjoyed by less-educated Americans whose lifespans have fallen further behind over time."

I live in a country where equal access to education is the norm and virtually free (you buy your books). The drawbacks to this system, in debates I have read here in Norway at least, center upon the lack of personal need for competition since the doors are open to everyone. Push harder, press onward to the max, set higher goals, etc. "Why do that?" some say.

Do you believe that a more equally accessible educational system in the USA would benefit society at large?

Would free, or at least same price access, for all colleges and universities be a possibility, or do the wealthy have too much control in that area?

Is the concept of full equal access, affordable to all, and content rich academic institutional sponsored education even possible, or are these only futile thoughts and dreams destined for the wind?

What do you think?

- How can society enact necessary changes to bring about a brighter future for those whose pockets are not lined with golden fibers, those who were not born with silver spoons in their mouths and those whose athletic/academic abilities do not suffice the decision makers enough to grant them a scholarship?

Do you believe any individual can achieve enough to make it through self-educating themselves over time if they make the decision to do so?