"Congress's current reauthorization of federal higher-education programs provides a case study in persistently expanding government," the Hawaii Reporter reports. "The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008 (COAA, H.R. 4137) is the latest budget-busting bill from a Democratic Congress that has found few parts of government undeserving of massive new deficit spending. Although federal outlays for higher education have nearly tripled since 2001, COAA would authorize extensive new spending, dozens of new programs, and more Washington control of the daily operation of America's colleges and universities. Lawmakers should take this massive government expansion off the fast track and address the bill's costs and underlying policies."