Anyone who allows Spelling, of all political appointees, to negotiate retroactive rates is a fool, particularly with a new Secretary in the wings. She is the one who recruited the University of Phoenix's staffer to raid, and bankrupt, the entire system of higher ed loans. With the highest default rates for the least supported kind of online higher ed, that ought to be more than enough to freeze her out of this decision, even without a new Secretary pending. The embarrassing courtship of former Governor Weld by another of those proprietary, and extortionate, institutions should be enough to alert even the Republicans on that committee.