The ConcordMonitor's April 26 piece, "Will gas prices cast pall at polls? Local lawmakers, observers disagree," had some congressmen making points one could agree with, but there was much old-fashioned talk to make the voter feel good and some talk that parroted lobbyist pseudo-arguments.

Sen. Sununu, for example, said that the government needed to be "cautious in raising fuel-economy standards to consider the potential fatalities that might be associated with lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles."

The funny thing is that well over a decade ago I wrote another New Hampshire senator, Bob Smith, urging him to help increase car mileage. His response was just what Sununu said - that there would be more traffic fatalities and also that it would put our auto industry at a big disadvantage.

But in searching the truth of the fatalities statement, I found a talk that the assistant secretary of transportation gave to the Senate, of all places, saying that the heavier cars (SUVs) had the highest single-car fatality rate and that midsize cars were worse than small cars also. And we see with GM facing bankruptcy that that industry put itself at a disadvantage by not coming out with fuel-efficient cars.

It is clear that we can stall in doing the logical, right thing and box ourselves into a no-win situation with energy which is important for our current lifestyle. We can change all that, but we must have the collective will to do it.

FILSON H. GLANZ

Durham