DUIs in Los Angeles: Ty Pennington Vs. Paris Hilton

As the Paris Hilton DUI saga and ensuing license suspension and jail sentence unfolded, I highly doubt there were too many Americans surprised by her actions. She scoffed at the police. She continued to drive, although she was caught twice with a suspended license. You can tell that Miss Paris Hilton clearly thinks that the law does not apply to her. If you look at an overview of her extremely privileged life, you can see why she thinks that way. She lacks for nothing and everything is disposable, including pets and best friends apparently. I am extremely surprised she hasn't fired her own parents yet. Then again, they certainly never expected her to act in a responsible fashion, so I guess she has no problems with them. Even if Paris Hilton does end up serving a jail term, which I highly doubt will happen, she will undoubtedly pay her way into some Federal country club where she will be catered to for 45 days. Never once have you heard Paris Hilton apologize for driving under the influence of alcohol, or for driving with her license suspended. She put countless lives at risk and continues to make lame excuses for her actions. How sad that such a beautiful woman will only be remembered for her downfalls, much like Anna Nicole Smith.

In contrast, Ty Pennington, the enigmatic host of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, was also arrested recently on DUI charges in Los Angeles. He possesses such a likable personality and giving spirit that we forget that he is human and screws up just like the rest of us. Many will probably chalk up the incident as just another celebrity acting like a fool. However, Ty Pennington has done something that most celebrities don't do. He apologized. He was personally accountable and took full responsibility for his actions. He apologized to his fans, his coworkers, and ABC. He acknowledged that he had a terrible lapse in judgment and put lives at risk. As much as we cannot condone his actions, we at least have to give him some credit for forgoing stupid excuses and owning up to it.