I would like to see some investigative reports into the lifestyle of some of these cable purveyors. Some of them may be living in a similar style to the 'geniuses' on Wall St. On the other hand, perhaps they're not, in which case it would seem they are charging a reasonable amount. And then, it could also be they make a huge profit on very small margin, not wealthy but living very comfortably with very little effort. I bet there are cable purveyors that fit into each of these categories.
My guess would be that while the markups on many of these cables probably border on the unconscionable, no one is making a fortune on them. While what is charged is what the market will bear, the market is a very small one (essentially a niche market), and they are selling to an extremely small percentage of the population.
Regards,
-- Al