Generation Debt column from Bob Herbert

TimesSelect: One of the weirder things at work these days is the fact that we’re making it more difficult for American youngsters to afford college at a time when a college education is a virtual prerequisite for establishing and maintaining a middle-class standard of living.
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This is a wonderful example of extreme stupidity. America will pony up a trillion or two for a president who goes to war on a whim, but can’t find the money to adequately educate its young. History has shown that these kinds of destructive trade-offs are early clues to a society in decline.

PS> Anne Thompson at The Campaign for America's Future at Tompaine.com :

While UCLA is leading the pack as a number two seed in the NCAA tournament, it is not faring nearly as well when it comes to tuition increases. Tuition at UCLA has increased from $3,683 in 2000-2001 to $6,522 this school year, close to doubling in just six years. That’s well above the sizeable 41 percent average increase in tuition at public colleges nationwide since 2001. How do those numbers affect the odds that hardworking students will earn college degrees and succeed in the competitive global economy?