i'm so very sorry stating an obvious observable fact hurt your fragile moral sensibilities.
many people of all means also bike in LA.
Why the patronizing? Asking why you don't prefer the bus when you deem it the best in the world was actually a great question. Using your personal car also makes you move at the same speed as traffic (duh) and obviously it costs you more than a dollar.
I like riding the bus/subway, more so than having a car. But the reasons many people prefer cars are glaringly obvious.
And so on.
Granted in my city we also have subways. But the question really interests me, because having to rely on a car would be a complete no go for me. So if that is (still) the case for LA, it's not the city for me.
Actually I consider it a privilege to not need a car. I pay for it with higher rent, I suppose - living closer to the city center, and in a city big enough to have public transport to begin with.
I have no idea what LA is like, does it have things like 8 lane streets? Seem to remember hearing that years ago. That to me would look very outlandish, I don't think I have ever seen an 8 lane road.
Maybe some LAians just can't imagine how different other cities are? Maybe in LA parking space is not scarce, and neither is space on the roads (with 8 lanes). But in other cities it might be different, and the incentives for cars change, not just because of ideology but because of circumstances.