The high costs of college and a spiraling student loan debt load are threatening the future prospects of people under 35, according to the new report, "Building Ohio's Future Middle Class" --- published by Policy Matters Ohio, and Demos, a New York-based public policy group. Nancy Cauthen of Demos says those in their early to mid-20s have been particularly hard hit by an economy that has been in decline since the 1970s.
NANCY CAUTHEN: People who are just starting adulthood, starting to get their educations, get in the labor force, start a family --- they are feeling the brunt of these changes that are decades in the making.
The solution, according to the report, is to increase federal assistance to the states. The report points to past government programs such as the G.I. Bill following World War 2 and the Higher Education Act of 1965, both of which made college more affordable. Policy Matters' Amy Hanauer says these efforts were investments which helped bring thousands of families into the middle class. She says, it's time for similar measures --- even if it means raising taxes to pay for it.
AMY HANAUER: The fact is, we can afford it. It's a matter of deciding that we want to afford it.
