Car to boost the ego? Grow up

The arrant nonsense in holding the automobile up as an ego booster is typical Los Angeles. Why Tim Rutten is in trouble [“Don’t Lead or Follow, Just Get Out of the Way,” Sept. 15] is because he and any number of drivers are of the belief that a Maserati or Ferrari will make their hearts beat faster (a Corolla just doesn’t make it).

I can understand a teenager’s romance with an auto, but a grown and intelligent man? I drive and use public transportation, particularly on Rutten’s lamented Wilshire Boulevard. I get to where I want to be, on schedule, and I ride with people who either can’t afford a car, are unable to drive or choose not to. Is he making a sociological point?

PHIL ISAACS

Los Angeles