Vespa-riding hypocrites

I found it ironic -- maybe hypocritical -- to read in The Dallas Morning News that Josh Bailey sold a Nissan Altima and replaced it with a Vespa, when the page 2 photo shows the Explorer, mentioned in the story, behind Bailey in his driveway. Too bad Jim didn't have a pic at a slightly different angle to show that more clearly, or that you didn't use that pic if you had it available.

He needed a new vehicle — his 1995 Nissan Altima was on its last legs – but a new car would put a strain on his budget. He had just graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary and had a new baby, so keeping costs low was a priority.

That’s why he and his wife, Emily, headed to the scooter shop in August and laid down about $5,000 on a shiny Vespa. He sold his Altima, although his wife kept her Ford Explorer.

“Believe me, we’ve not jumped off the SUV bandwagon,” he said. “It would be very difficult if my only means of transportation was a scooter.”

Hey, so you have one baby, Mr. Bailey. You ever hear of a Taurus or a Camry? You replace your Explorer, which probably never sees mud, with a mid-sized car, and you'll save as much or more on gas than your Vespa did over your Altima.