Borrowing against the future. Annual tuition increases have become the norm for college students in America, forcing increasing numbers to take out loans. Congress has now decided to increase the burden by locking in the interest rates on those loans at above-market rates. The resulting savings make up about one-third of the $40 billion deficit reduction package recently passed in the U.S. Senate. Soon, Congress will take up tax-cut legislation that will wipe out any savings from the deficit reduction bill.

In a world where a college education is increasingly imperative for American competitiveness and prosperity, these developments are incoherent. It will be tougher for middle-class families to pay for college. The average student already graduates with about $20,000 of debt.

Congress has reduced taxes for four straight years. Most Americans are paying federal taxes at historically low levels. Meanwhile, those who represent the future have been ignored as tuition rises and their debts mount.

The nation needs to take the long view when it comes to access to higher education. This latest move only hurts students and their families, and it won’t reduce the deficit.

Semper phooey. Pride in fighting fitness is legendary among members of the U.S. Marine Corps.

And, as Sgt. Zachary Ballantine, a weight-control instructor at Quantico, Va., notes, “You can’t eat like a slob and then expect to perform well.”

Thus the Marines impose strict weight requirements that involve nutrition lectures, regular visits to the scales and, if the needle swings too far, disciplinary steps including discharge. Other branches of the military have similar rules, but the Marines are more demanding.

This makes sense. The rigors of war are not flab-friendly. One wants the nation’s defense in capable hands.

However, a recent order from Marine headquarters says Marines sent to Iraq henceforth will be exempt from the requirements – at least until they return to the United States, where they will be expected to resume the program.

In other words, Marines have to be physically fit and ready for combat, unless they are in combat.