Broadcast dispute important to curb prices, salaries

I really enjoy reading Krista Kafer’s column. But this one especially hit home. Like her, I have long driven Santa Fe Drive from Littleton to downtown and I have often wondered why a three-lane road is shut down to two lanes during rush hour every day, then opened back to three lanes as soon as rush hour is over!

After struggling with construction on C-470 through Littleton for years, I am now fearful that the two lanes of traffic each direction will still be two lanes. The only addition after all this agony will be a toll lane. Unlike Krista, I don’t like that — because very few people tend to use toll roads when free lanes exist, preferring to spend more time in traffic than paying tolls. I have seen this on my occasional trip on the Boulder turnpike, and also in Houston, where I-45 had a parallel toll road just a quarter mile east. I-45 was bumper to bumper, while the toll road was empty most of the time.

Krista Kafer again shows off her attitude of entitlement with this column. She obviously cares about nothing but her own convenience and time schedule. I love the comment that HOV lanes were put in place during the fuel shortages of the 1970s. Never a word mentioned about concern for polluting our environment. Her specific complaint about Santa Fe Drive is strictly related to her personal inconvenience, and the fact that she cheats when pressed for time shows her sense of entitlement. I hope she gets one of those very expensive tickets. Meanwhile, those of us who follow the rules, though it is often inconvenient, are the ones concerned about pollution. Her solution of providing more paid express lanes encourages the entitlement of the few who can afford to pay for their privilege to pollute without conscience.

I want to thank Comcast, DirecTV and Dish for finally taking a token stand with their contract negotiations with Altitude, the AvalancheNuggets TV network. For many years, these contracts have grown dramatically. This has fueled the ever-increasing, outrageous salaries for athletes. Controlling the price of these TV contracts is the only significant mechanism by which consumers can say no to continued escalation of professional athlete salaries. Many consumers do not watch the Nuggets or Avalanche, but are forced to pay for the Altitude channel as part of our cable package. The damage has been done over many years. I wish the cable TV companies had taken a stand years ago, and I hope they do not back down now.