This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
So Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and 10 other state attorneys general are fussing about the merger of Sirius and XM satellite radio ("Business Digest: Satellite radio - attorneys general urge restrictions on Sirius-XM merger," Tribune, March 29). This merger would affect 3 percent of the nation's citizens who choose to spend $10 a month for the service.
Did these attorneys general oppose the mergers of Exxon/Mobile, Conoco/Phillips, or Chevron/Texaco? These three mergers formed an oligopoly that controls 80 percent of the oil distribution in the United States and forces every citizen to pay additional hundreds of dollars each month.
In 1998, truck diesel cost $1.04 a gallon; in 2008, it costs $3.94. What value are Utah taxpayers getting from the money they pay the attorney general? What are your priorities, Mr. Shurtleff?
Norman Bryce
Salt Lake City
