Unnecessary Truck

Big, four wheel drive pickup trucks seem to be a plague on our roads. I've read numerous comments by people who think they are gas guzzling road hogs driven by red-necks who want nothing more than to crush the little people in the their fuel efficient little foreign bug cars. Me, I've been on both sides of this skirmish. Ten foot tall pickup trucks come flying by me at a hunert miles an hour, obviously driven by maniacs, or getting stuck behind tiny little tiny putt-putts driven by idiots crawling down the road, holding up traffic in three counties.

Now there are some people who have a legitimate use for a large pickup, like people in the construction trades who are occasionally called on to haul material or tow trailers. Then there is the RV crowd who drive their monster truck to work five days a week and then use it to tow their travel trailer to the beach or the mountains on the weekend. These people could buy another small car to commute to work, but is having two cars instead of just one really any better? It is certainly more expensive to maintain two vehicles than one.

Our neighbor's older daughter got married a few months to a guy who joined the marines. He spent some time in Afghanistan. He does not need a monster truck. But then it struck me: he probably feels more comfortable driving in something like this, because what has he spent the last year riding around in? An MRAP. Coming back to the States is going to require some adjustments, and if driving a monster pickup truck makes him feel more comfortable, well, I for one am not going to complain.