Muscle-headed reasons

Regarding your Jan. 6 article "Paramedics get muscle cars," why give someone trying to save a life a car capable of achieving 150 mph? The majority of men who've received speeding tickets can answer this: Because they can.

Chief Skip Kirkwood and Jeffrey Hammerstein need to stop trying to justify their actions with lame excuses such as better gas mileage or cargo space. To quote Hammerstein, "we didn't choose this vehicle because it has a powerful engine or a fast start or something like that." Well, this is who this car was designed for and marketed to: high performance speed buffs and law-enforcement agencies. It was also noted that Dodge offers this vehicle with a less robust V6 engine, but Hammerstein said the more powerful version offers better brakes and more responsive steering. This excuse holds no water since the better braking and steering are direct necessities of having the larger engine.

No one wants to withhold the best equipment from first responders, but this car is not the best for the job. If they want cargo space, stick with a small SUV and reap the benefits of off-road accessibility.

Hammerstein and Kirkwood need to admit that it is all about having the fastest car on the block.

Kurt Ellis

Hobgood