Yes, you know who you are. The ones on I-10 over the weekend driving those Navigators, Escalades, Armadas, Suburbans, Yukons, Hummers and Excursions, some dragging small cruise ships or small three-bedroom homes, traveling at least 80 miles an hour and, most likely, having the air conditioning going full blast.

Do you realize how responsible you are for the current high price of gasoline that you probably curse loudly when you fill the tank?

Conspicuous consumption — egos flaunting riches earned or merely inherited by buying things they don't really need — has always been one of capitalism's uglier aspects. The proliferation of vehicles that seem more suitable as troop transports has given conspicuous consumption a new level of chutzpah.

I'm sure many drivers of those behemoths consider themselves super patriots, especially since many sported yellow ribbons saying, "Support our troops." We all know that the recent increases in gasoline prices do nothing more than fuel the profits of big oil companies or go toward paying for the increased cost of crude oil purchased from the Middle East. How many Americans have lost their lives protecting a commodity we could wean ourselves from if we actually made the effort?

Is the availability of gasoline more important than lives?

And yes, I was on I-10 also, visiting friends in Indio, in my 1996 Mitsubishi Mirage coupe that got 33 miles to the gallon on the open road, which, I'm sure, was at least three times the mileage of the gargantuan, swollen egos passing me on the road.