Some had no choice but to drive a gas-guzzler

Regarding the letter "Cash for Clunkers: Rewards for Bad Choices" (Aug. 21): The writer claimed that those taking advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program were those who initially made bad decisions at the expense of those who had not.

While I think that he has a valid point about the use of taxpayer money and the spending of the current government, I feel the need to point out this:

Not all those gas-guzzlers that people were getting rid of were unnecessary and expensive SUVs, hot rods, etc. Instead, many were old, outdated cars that consumers would have loved to trade in long ago for a more economical and fuel-efficient car, not to mention more reliable, but were faced with the problem of the price tag on many of these cars.

Sometimes it is not out of choice but the lack of choice that people purchase the "clunkers" in the first place.

RACHEL OBRADOVICH
Seneca, Venango County