[Paul Atreides]

By and large, SUV owners seem a contented lot, lording it over the common herd, proud of the status symbols they captain to the shopping mall or the grocery store.

I was wondering how long it would take them to bring class envy into it.

[Miss Marple]

Of course! Of course, my SUV isn't very imposing, since it is a 91 Ford Explorer that now is starting to rust. On the plus side it has 300,000 miles on the original engine and transmission.

I have an SUV so that I can haul things and get my disabled mother and her wheelchair into the vehicle comfortably. We have hauled brush, a girls' soccer team, a riding lawnmower, and large dogs.

Without my Explorer, we would have had to buy both a sedan and a pickup. I consider our purchase to be economical.

Also, I am short and I like being up high. I cannot normally see oncoming traffic if someone is opposite me when I am turning left.

If they ban SUV's, I will buy a pick-up.