By John M, Hamilton, President Greater Detroit Building and Construction Trades Council

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Michigan Democratic Party, I attended the convention held in Lansing August 24-25. I am pleased to report that the Democratic Party has a unified ticket, and with your help we will be successful in November.

It's time for a change in Michigan. It's time to secure the future for our families, for our children, and for our state.

For the past 12 years, the leadership in Lansing has been stuck in the tired old ways of the past instead of looking for new ways to prepare our children and families for the challenges of the 21st century. They have squandered our hard-earned surplus, plunging our state deep into deficit. And instead of welcoming all to the table and uniting us as Michiganians, they have only given seats to their special interest friends.

Jennifer Granholm believes that the time has come to put the priorities of Michigan's families first and foremost. If we set high expectations for Michigan and if we make the right decisions that will protect our families and educate our children, then there is no limit to what we can do.

We need leadership that is committed to Michigan's families and is dedicated to the values that have made this state great: family, faith, and hard work; tolerance and inclusion;

opportunity for all and responsibility from all. This is our commitment to the families of Michigan: Education: Make education Michigan's number-one priority by ensuring that every child has a great start and comes to school ready to learn; by setting great expectations for our teachers, students, and school districts; by creating great schools with smaller class sizes, modern facilities, and by retaining and recruiting high-quality teachers.

Economic growth and job creation: Get our economy moving again by preparing Michigan's workers for the jobs of the 21st century through the creation of three Regional Skills Alliances; and by creating high-tech, high wage jobs through the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor that will bring universities, businesses, workers, and non-profits together to develop and commercialize new advancements in the life sciences, automotive technology, and homeland security.

Affordable health care: Increase access to quality, affordable health care for all Michiganians by working to lower the cost of prescription drugs, expanding access to MIChild and Medicaid, and pursuing innovative partnerships between employers, employees, and local governments to ensure healthcare coverage for working men and women.

Environmental protection: Protect our environment, the safety and health of our families, and the great outdoors through "Clean Water Forever" legislation that protects the Great Lakes from diversion, stopping the indiscriminate flow of out-of-state trash into Michigan, and making polluters pay for the damage they cause.

Neighborhood renewal: Rebuild our neighborhoods by seeding new businesses and affordable housing; appointing a team of "blight busters" to tear down abandoned and dangerous buildings; developing Smart Building Codes that make it easier to obtain permits while protecting the public, and leading efforts to develop regional transit.

Public safety and security: Keep our families safe and communities secure by cracking down on parole and probation violators who commit the most violent crimes; breaking the cycle of drugs and crime; fighting for the rights of crime victims; encouraging the creation of more drug courts; and creating a broad-based task force to revamp Michigan's homeland security efforts.

Infrastructure investment: Keep Michigan moving by prioritizing the repair of existing roads, fixing our crumbling bridges; securing additional federal transportation dollars; and insisting on road warranties.

Rights of Workers: Fight for the rights of Michigan's workers by protecting the right to organize, improving workplace safety, and making sure that women get an equal day's pay for an equal day's work.

One Michigan: Build an inclusive Michigan where everyone has a share in the future and by knocking down barriers through a ban on racial profiling, vigorously prosecuting hate crimes, ending discrimination in employment, fighting insurance redlining and working to end discriminatory practices in banking and housing.

Seniors: Stand up for seniors by lowering the cost of prescription drugs, shielding them from fraud and abuse, and giving those who need long-term care more options to live at home or in the community.

Children: Put Michigan's children first by combating teen smoking; expanding after-school programs; reducing truancy by withholding the driver's license of children who are not going to school and raising the drop-out age from 16 to 18; and promoting public service by requiring community service to graduate high school.

Women: Support women by upholding and defending the right to choose, opening doors for women entrepreneurs, and calling for flexible work schedules and on-site child care centers so no parent has to choose between the child they love and the job they need.

College affordability: Open the doors of college to more of our young people through the Great Lakes Scholars program, a public-private endowment that will fund scholarships for Michigan students; supporting community colleges; expanding the Michigan Education Trust; and improving access to lifelong learning.

Corporate responsibility: Demand corporate responsibility and honest accounting practices by leveraging the state's power as an institutional investor to demand reform from corporations to protect people's pensions and savings and to restore faith in our private sector.

Fiscal responsibility: Restore fiscal responsibility to state government by cutting outdated programs, reducing overhead costs, and holding the line on the number of state government jobs so we have the resources needed to help Michigan's families, grow our economy, and create jobs of the future.

Government accountability: Create a government that works for the people of Michigan by calling for full public disclosure of any outside financial interests by elected officials and state employees, appointing a "bureaucracy buster" to cut red tape and simplify citizen access to government, and appointing a cabinet that reflects Michigan's diversity.