I'll bet congress is still trying to pass the "fairness" legislation to try and silence conservative talk shows. Partisan "meddling" happens on both sides of the aisle.
Women seem to get most all of the breaks when it comes to traffic tickets. When I get pulled over, 95% of the time I will get a ticket out of the deal.
There are some decent alternatives. For me, it mostly boils down to time. It would also depend on origin and destination. US 20 pretty much parallels the toll road. And if coming up from the south east, US 30 & 33 are also decent alternatives.
RE: Your Friend's "Ex"
I would feel really bad for any friend of mine that tried to date my ex.