https://www.goodwill.org/author/paul-seifert/ Local Goodwills are nonprofits that help people overcome challenges to build skills, find jobs and grow their careers. #PowerOfWork Wed, 30 Aug 2017 20:00:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-goodwill-site-icon-nobg-32x32.png https://www.goodwill.org/author/paul-seifert/ 32 32 https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/tell-congress-thats-no-way-to-run-a-railroad/ Thu, 15 Sep 2016 15:55:57 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=444580 The saying referenced in today’s headline dates back to 1932, though few remember that it originally appeared in a comic book. If you were born that year you would be 84 years old today, and you might still be working according to the latest data. By 2020, it is estimated that workers 55 and over will make up 25 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force, up from 13 percent in 2000. ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/can-you-save-social-security/ Thu, 18 Aug 2016 16:05:07 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=430884 We’ve all said or thought, ”I could do a better job than (name the member of Congress)” at one time or another,  and with Congress’s approval ratings in single digits, who can blame us?   But is it really that easy?  Well here is your chance to find out. We all know the importance of social security.  Sixty-five percent of seniors lived at or below the poverty line before the program was developed.   Today, thanks in large part to social security, the poverty rate for seniors is roughly the same as for all other age groups.   Rarely has a program had such a profound effect. However, as we all know, the Social Security Trust ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/the-democratic-national-platform-and-goodwills-priorities-part-two/ Thu, 28 Jul 2016 15:46:57 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=420276 Last week’s blog highlighted some of the key points of the 2016 GOP National Platform and as the Democrats head out of Philadelphia, take a look at key parts of the 2016 Democratic Platform that pertain to Goodwill’s priorities.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/the-gop-platform-and-goodwills-priorities-part-one/ Thu, 21 Jul 2016 19:02:24 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=417270 I watched my first national political convention in 1976. I was in high school at the time, but watching the gavel-to-gavel coverage and listening to speeches and commentary somehow captured my attention. Now it’s 40 years later and with decades of policy and political experience, those speeches come across to me a lot differently, and, for most part, not for the better. Maybe it’s cynicism; maybe it’s knowing that the issues are more complicated than the kind of sound bite, red meat rhetoric solutions you hear at these conventions.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/proposed-payday-lending-rules-seek-to-end-abuses/ Thu, 30 Jun 2016 17:50:04 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=406487 The average payday loan carries an annual percentage rate (APR) of 391 percent. Are you or someone you know affected by these often debilitating fees? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed new rules that would reign in many of the most egregious abuses of payday lenders and car title loan businesses. This long awaited effort follows on the efforts of many states to bring order to the nearly unregulated small lender marketplace.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/give-fathers-a-second-chance-after-incarceration/ https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/give-fathers-a-second-chance-after-incarceration/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:27:00 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=402870 For Father’s Day, many of us spent time with our dads or remembering them in various ceremonies. We bought our dads really bad ties, took them to dinner, or did the chores they would normally do so they could sleep in late or watch a game. But there is one group of dads who experienced Father’s Day very differently this year: those who are currently incarcerated. ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/give-fathers-a-second-chance-after-incarceration/feed/ 1 https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/give-re-entering-vets-a-second-chance-this-memorial-day/ Thu, 26 May 2016 19:08:36 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=388408 We’ve told you about how the statistics on recidivism are staggering.  On average more than six in ten people re-entering society from prison re-offend within three years.  This alone is tragic, but even more so is the number of veterans who end up on this life ruining merry-go-‘round. And while some data is showing that incarceration rates among veterans is falling, that data is suspect because many localities don’t track veterans coming into their jails. This is a revolving door that costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year, wastes countless lives which could be saved from this tragedy, and more to the point, can be prevented ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/support-our-veterans-during-military-appreciation-month/ Thu, 12 May 2016 18:23:21 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=381342 Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999 to ensure the nation was given the opportunity to publicly demonstrate their appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by our service members - past and present. Each year the president makes a proclamation, reminding Americans of the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played in the history and development of our country.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/give-a-second-chance-during-national-reentry-week/ Thu, 28 Apr 2016 15:53:23 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=373718 Each year, more than 600,000 individuals return to society after serving time in federal and state prisons, and another 11.4 million individuals cycle through local jails. Nearly a quarter of Americans has had some sort of encounter with the criminal justice system – mostly for relatively minor, non-violent offenses, and sometimes from decades in the past. ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/imagine-if-your-donations-filled-an-entire-plane/ Thu, 21 Apr 2016 18:44:03 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=370075 This Friday marks 46 years since the first Earth Day in 1970. You may not know it, but if you have donated to your local Goodwill or shopped at a local Goodwill store or online you have helped make our planet a little cleaner and a little greener. How much greener? In 2010 Goodwill (and you!) helped divert more than 2.4 billion pounds from landfills through donations to, and purchases from, Goodwill. ]]>