The Transportation Chief's Hummer

"Every person must live their lives as a model for others."

That quote by Rosa Parks is on the wall of LA transportation chief Jamie de la Vega's wall. He drives a Hummer. When I was a silly teenager, I coveted the Hummers that sat in the parking lot of my nearby dealership. Then I grew up and realized the havoc that they wreck on our environment and roads. I guess de la Vega doesn't care.

Like Lopez says:

It's like having a surgeon general who smokes unfiltered Camels while snacking on Cheetos.

That snark is the result of being told that the Hummer was off limits for their interview. He got into it with de la Vega's staffer. This is both priceless and sad.

Szabo, meanwhile, looked like he might have some kind of a breakdown. He argued that de la Vega's vehicle is not the largest in the Hummer line.

"It's smaller than a Yukon," he said.

Wonderful. So is the Queen Mary.

The polar caps are melting, we are at war in the oil fields and Mr. Transit is driving a hog that says who cares

That is some pretty poor spin. It is about as laughable as the governor's consultants saying that his town hall meetings are open and accessible to the general public.

At least the Democrats in Sacramento are (mostly) leading by example. A number of them have chosen hybrids as their state vehicle. Clearly, de la Vega has not gotten the memo. Perhaps this bit of bad press will help him see the error of his ways. After-all, the most famous Hummer owner in the world (Arnold) has either sold or stored his fleet.

The thing that sticks in my craw the most about all of this is del la Vega's attitude. He is obviously embarrassed and knows he is doing something wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have his spokesman spinning like a ferris wheel so he doesn't have to answer pointed questions. Either step up and defend having a Hummer, or ditch the thing for something more sensible. Maybe he should read that quote on his wall to help him make up his mind.