Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/294609
Greg Stevens, Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor Editorial Board How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151 ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FaCEbook.CoM/ rbdailynEwS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @rEdbluFFnEwS Mary Barra, General Motors' new chief ex- ecutive officer, was in a tough spot last week as she tried to explain to Congress why her company didn't quickly recall cars it knew contained defective and clearly dangerous parts. The choices appeared to be that GM was either corrupt or incompetent. Instead of select- ing one of those, Barra chose to plead ignorance. It was not a popular choice. As a consequence, the latest denizen of GM's corner office got to experience congressio - nal anger at its highest pitch — which is what happens when news cameras are rolling. California Sen. Barbara Boxer was a leader of the out - raged as she peppered Barra with questions. "You don't know anything about anything," Boxer said at one point. Barra tried to assure the sen - ators that GM is now focused on safety and the consumer, but Boxer was not assuaged. "If this is the new GM lead - ership, it's pretty lacking," she fumed. Two other senators, both former prosecutors, raised the specter of criminal prosecu - tion. "I don't see this as anything but criminal," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., said the more he learns about GM, "the more con - vinced I am that GM has a real exposure to criminal liability." Barra's main accomplish- ment of the day was substan- tial: She inspired bipartisan concurrence. But it probably wasn't exactly what she had in mind. We're with Blumenthal: The more we learn, the more outra - geous GM's actions appear. It's increasingly clear that GM covered up informa- tion about defective ignition switches in at least two of its vehicles — Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions — and that those defects are linked to 13 deaths and dozens of accidents. Earlier in the week, Barra apologized for the company's actions during a tear-filled meeting with families who had lost loved ones from these crashes. Then she appeared be - fore a House committee, where she again apologized and prom- ised that many of the answers Congress seeks will be found in an internal GM investigation that should be completed in 45 to 60 days. She apologized a third time at the beginning of the Senate subcommittee hearing, but it was wearing thin. Barra's strategy is to rely heavily on the results of that in - ternal investigation. But if it's going to help, it better be fin- ished in less than two months, and it better be a good one. A really good one. A substandard investigation is sure to earn Barra an "invi - tation" back to the Senate sub- committee. And next time, they won't be so nice. Editorial GM CEO fails to reassure an angry Congress Cartoonist's take Yes, it's a new century. Just look at David Letterman, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. They're all symbols of a new era. Letterman surprised the en - tertainment biz by suddenly an- nouncing he intends to retire from CBS's "Late Show," as soon as next year. His late-night-nem- esis Jay Leno gave up his NBC "Tonight Show" throne last month. In making his decision, Letterman proved himself smart and a symbol of baby-boomers slowly leaving the stage. He clearly recognized a late night television generational shift and goes out on top. Letter - man, 66, and Leno, 63, are baby- boomers imprinted by 1950s tele- vision who earlier worked com- edy clubs. New Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon is 39. CBS's reported dream-Letterman re- placement, Stephen Colbert, is 49. The Johnny Carsons, the Dick Cavetts, the Merv Griffins -- all gave way to baby-boomers, who are now gradually yielding to a younger generation raised on a different kind of comedy and accustomed to being plugged into the Internet. Baby boomers spent their lives during a transitional period where entertainment went from general interest and broadcast - ing to niche and narrow-casting. The media was also impacted as newspapers offering fact-based reporting engaged in a survival battle with the Internet, ideolog - ically slanted blogs, and cable news and political shows overtly biased towards particular politi- cal parties. Most stories on Letterman's impending exit didn't men- tion one of his inspirations -- ac- tor-comedian Ernie Kovacs, an early TV genius famous for his ever-present cigar. Kovacs was a master of irony and sight gags who poked fun at the very me - dium that featured him. Kovacs often did quick, visual comedy black outs. He did some televi- sion pieces that couldn't be done without a camera. When Kovacs died in a car ac- cident on January 13, 1962, he left behind baby boomer fans who grew up on him. I did a sixth grade "show and tell" presenta - tion on his death and thought: Well, surely someone will now step forward and do the same kind of comedy. But I was wrong: much of his comedy style died with him. But yet... Along came NBC's "Laugh In," which used comedy blackouts like Kovacs, and then Letterman, whose style, attitude and even some bits seemed influenced by Kovacs. Meanwhile, in politics, we see two contradictory symbols as baby boomers Hillary Clin - ton and Jeb Bush are seemingly poised to enter the nation's 2016 Presidential race. When Clinton lost her 2008 Democratic nomination bid to Barack Obama, she symbol - ized a woman trying to "break the glass ceiling" for the nation's highest office. In 2016, she'd sym- bolize how being a woman in the race is no longer a novelty. Pre- diction: well before the end of this century the U.S. will shed its Fred Flintstone-era attitude to- wards a woman as president. In contrast, Bush is a bitter- sweet symbol for moderates and centrists. He expressed con- servative heresy to Fox News, saying that when illegal immi- grants come here it's "an act of love" and "commitment" to their families. He advocates bringing back bipartisanship and respect - ing political foes. Which is why Buzzfeed's Ben Smith says Bush is a terrible candidate. "The notion that Jeb Bush is going to be the Republican presi - dential nominee is a fantasy nour- ished by the people who used to run the Republican Party," Smith writes. "Bush has been out of a game that changed radi - cally during the 12 years(!) since he last ran for office. He missed the transformation of his brother from Republican savior to squish; the rise of the tea party; the molding of his peer Mitt Rom - ney into a movement conserva- tive; and the ascendancy of a new generation of politicians (who) oc- casionally, carefully, respectfully break with the movement. Scorn- ing today's Republican Party is, by contrast, the core of Jeb's po- litical identity." Bush champions the return to when people cared more about substantive issues than 24/7 per - sonal attacks on the other politi- cal tribe -- an era when compro- mise and consensus were con- sidered strengths, not treason or wimpishness. And I think: Well, surely someone will step forward and offer this kind of politics again and will win big. But given what we're seeing with hyper ideologists and politi - cal tribalism, is it realistic to ex- pect a "but yet" this time? Joe Gandelman is a veteran jour- nalist who wrote for newspapers overseas and in the United States. He can be reached at jgandelman@ themoderatevoice.com Joe Gandelman Letterman, Hillary and Jeb — new symbols of the 21st Century it's increasingly clear that GM covered up information about defective ignition switches in at least two of its vehicles — Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn ions. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. Time for a change. i vote larry olsen for da. dave baker: On District Attorney race between Larry Olsen and incumbent Gregg Cohen need more things for these kids to do, more date nights for the adults and more family nights also. open it up. alice umsted: Comment on the push to reopen Corning's Rodgers Theatre President Obama announced last week that 7.1 million people had signed up for private health insurance through the Afford - able Care Act. It was a celebra- tory speech, because the ad- ministration had met its sign-up projections before last week's deadline. "This law is doing what it's supposed to do," Obama said. "It's working." Really, though, it's too soon to say. Getting people to sign up is only part of making the law work, and the sign-up process, even if the projections were met, was anything but smooth. Remember when the Obam - acare website crashed last year on the first day of enrollment? The rollout was a disaster. The bigger test is yet to come — we can judge the system only now that people are in the sys - tem. One gauge will be how pre- miums trend. The White House might have its own projections on premium costs, but only time will show how they behave under ACA. Another gauge is whether the administration is successful in attracting healthy young peo - ple to the program. Inclusion of this demographic in the ACA rolls is crucial to its success. The ACA is Obama's signa - ture domestic accomplishment, and his legacy rests largely on whether it works or fails. Oppo- nents once called for the law's repeal, but those efforts are all but abandoned, so every Ameri- can now has an interest in seeing the act succeed. In his speech, Obama acknowledged ACA's im- perfections and problems, but he said its on the right track. "The idea that everybody in this country can get de - cent health care — that goal is achievable," Obama said. The implication in that state- ment is correct. The goal has not yet been achieved. Editorial Obamacare needs work You turn on the TV and see a politician sincerely raging against a threat of flooding waters killing sal - amanders in the Painted Desert... "Republicans want these lizards to die!" You wonder, "If this is his campaign, he must think vot - ers are idiots. He must think they don't read newspapers or web news. He must think no one watches cable news. He must have absolutely no respect for voters." Now imagine a politician raging against the unfair - ness of American women earning less money than men because women choose careers that pay less and are less dangerous than the jobs men choose. You've just visualized the very real propagandizing of President Obama. And we wonder what he thinks of his voters. People who read or watch news know that the 2008 Census showed women earn - ing 77 cents for every dollar men earn because women are choosing careers that more often center around caring for other people. These jobs, such as social work and education, pay less than careers chosen mostly by men, such as petroleum engineer and miner. They know the Equal Pay Act of 1963 prevents com - panies from unfairly paying women less than men for doing the same job. Women are not being paid less than men for do - ing the same job at the same employer unless you consider government em- ployees who have automatic pay increases based on their years of showing up at work. In that case, yes, it happens. Contact Rick Jensen at rick@ wdel.com, or follow him on Twitter @Jensen1150WDEL. rick Jensen Fair pay for both men and women, unfair propaganda from President Obama OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, april 12, 2014 » MORE AT FaCEbook.CoM/rbdailynEwS AND TwiTTEr.CoM/rEdbluFFnEwS a4