Category: Advocate

President Obama fulfilled his constitutional requirement to address the nation earlier this week with the annual State of the Union. The pundits will weigh in on whether or not the policies laid out will be achievable in a Republican-controlled Congress. The economists will debate what can be paid for and how. The journalists will count how many times the crowd clapped and stood. As an advocate, I looked for the programs that impact Goodwill® and the people we serve.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Reacts to State of the Union Address

Jobs. Workers. Helping people get ahead. These are all issues central to our mission here at Goodwill®. But some might ask: what about those individuals who came to the United States desperate for work even if it meant risking all? The U.S. House of Representatives gave its answer this past Wednesday: no.

READ MORE from House Hostility Boils Over on Immigration Amendments

This week, the new 114th Congress convened with Republicans in control of both chambers for the first time since 2007. One of the first items on the House’s agenda is a bill to approve a pipeline that is estimated to have the potential to create more than 40,000 jobs. The bill in question is the Keystone Pipeline, a source of controversy; yet, it got me thinking about another pipeline of particular importance to American businesses, employers and workers – the talent pipeline.

READ MORE from New Congress Should Get the Talent Pipeline Flowing

The start of 2015 provides an opportunity for us to strongly declare what changes we will make and how we will start anew. The same holds true for Congress. This year marks the beginning of a new session and 58 new lawmakers looking to resolve to make changes.

READ MORE from Resolve to Help People in Your Community by Supporting Goodwill®

This week, I saw a 15 minute video on YouTube, called Humans Need Not Apply. In summary, the video postulates that we are experiencing a “robot revolution,” wherein advancement in automation that performs physical labor and make decisions could profoundly impact a wide range of occupations representing approximately 45 percent of our workforce.

READ MORE from Are These the Droids You’re Looking For?

The 113th Congress comes to a close this week and lawmakers are probably just as happy as the American public to put the last two years behind them and start anew. A recent Gallup poll reported that Congressional approval ratings are just one point higher than last year at 15 percent. Under this Congress we’ve seen a government shutdown and the invocation of the nuclear option (a Senate procedure allowing a rule or precedent to be overridden). However, there were some moments worth celebrating, particularly during the second session of the Congress this year.

READ MORE from What Has the 113th Congress Accomplished This Year?

Negotiations over the $1.1 trillion spending bill for FY 2015 continue despite snags over everything from trucking regulations and pension funding to terrorism insurance and the Dodd-Frank law that tightened financial regulations in the wake of the financial meltdown that helped trigger the Great Recession.

READ MORE from Congress Lurches to the Finish Line with FY 2015 Budget Baton

As the 113th Congress lurches to a post-election close, known as a lame duck session, some positive results might be in the making amid the budget drama and some notable failures.

READ MORE from Lame Duck Congress Could Yield Positive Results Amid Drama

The relationships between the native inhabitants and European settlers eventually deteriorated with shameful and tragic results that cannot be overlooked. However, the snapshot of the period between the Pilgrims’ landing and that harvest feast is a story that teaches the value of partnership.

READ MORE from Thanksgiving’s Story of Partnership

Lawmakers briefly returned to Washington, DC, to wrap up lingering issues before the 114th Congress convenes in early January. The new Congress will not only bring new faces and changes to the country’s leadership, but a different set of priorities. As Goodwill® prepares to begin new relationships and strengthen old contacts, it is important that we focus on what our own priorities should be.

READ MORE from Take Action for the Upcoming Year

The reference to a lame duck Congress gives the impression of being powerless, yet in reality the current Congress still holds the power and the duty to act on areas that will impact Goodwill and the people we serve.

READ MORE from Big Changes Still Possible from Lame Duck Congress

The 2014 mid-term elections are behind us, and even the most respected pollsters and pundits are surprised – not that the Republican party made gains, but by how much. Now the big question in Washington is whether the new Congress can abandon the politics of gridlock in order to move forward and govern. I admit it, I’m cynical. Control of Congress has flip-flopped numerous times over the past 20 years; yet, these breath-taking political moments have failed to establish the kind of transformational change that voters demand when they vote to throw incumbents out of Congress.

READ MORE from Changing the Impact Game: It’s Time for a Forward Pass