Citizen Public Safety Committee is a much needed first step.

By Councilmember Marti Brown

Miessner to Run for District 1 Supervisor Seat

 1/25/12 -- You know and love her for her Council Reports. They say she can dance...but now she's decided to run. Yes it is true VIB's own Katy Miessner has thrown her hat into the ring and is running for Solano County Supervisor in District 1. Her full announcement is below:

Ethicalego (Kenneth Brooks) discusses current events from a critical thinking perspective rarely expressed elsewhere

 Critical thinking about the Civil War

1/22/12

There is growing criticism that American schools and universities do not teach critical thinking skills. More outrageously, their academic policy destroys students' ability to reason skillfully by accustoming them to accept memorization of conclusions by authority figures as learning and regurgitation of memorized conclusions as reasoning.

Reason-based learning requires the ability to take in new information and make conclusions by associating or linking it to something known. However, schools prevent reasoned-based learning by teaching subjects out of context with students' experiences. They teach about Columbus discovering America or George Washington as the America's first president before students have concepts of continents, oceans, foreign nations, or even government. Therefore, students have no foundation for examining the information. They must accept the information based on the authority of their teachers that it is accurate and necessary for learning. This makes pleasing authority figures the goal for students' learning and not developing an understanding of the world. This impressed information becomes the foundation for prejudiced adult thinking by Americans already predisposed to accept the unsupported conclusions of government officials as fact without challenging them.

   1/21/12    Read the latest City of Vallejo Newsletter HERE
 

Your City Council Report

For January 17, 2012

1/19/12

By Katy (ADQ) Miessner

Another packed evening: Hiring a New City Manager, a vote on WinCo, Medical Marijuana Tax. And to think the Police Committee discussion was to also take place—that’s been postponed until January 31 (whew).

DANIEL KEEN HIRED UNANIMOUSLY

Despite a complaint over Keen’s salary from Buck Kamphausen – (Council Member Hermie Sunga’s sometime employer)—even Sunga voted yes. How could Sunga not, after Interim City Manager Phil Batchelor’s articulate reasoning for why Keen should be hired. And, despite complaints of pay too high, Keen will be making less than the two most recent “permanent” city managers: Joe Tanner and the disastrous Roger Kemp.