Mark Schauer: Battle for jobs can't miss a beat

As the noise from our district's hard-fought congressional campaign finally settles down, the challenging work of creating jobs and turning our economy around can't miss a beat.

Politics is about competing visions, but governing is about people coming together to achieve a set of common goals.

And here in Michigan, those goals couldn't be clearer.

The first order of business is to make sure our domestic automakers have access to the capital resources they need to survive this economic crisis and re-tool their facilities to better compete in the global economy. With one in 10 American jobs tied to the auto industry, there is simply too much at stake for the nation's economy to let one or more go under.

While Rep. Walberg and I disagreed on many issues during the campaign, I appreciate his recent efforts to secure emergency rescue financing for the Big Three from U.S. Treasury Secretary Paulson. If necessary, I'll go door-to-door to convince my new colleagues that assisting Ford, GM and Chrysler is the right thing to do.

On a similar note, I'll do the same thing when it comes to fighting for fair trade policies that level the playing field for Michigan businesses. Less than 24 hours after the election, I was already on a conference call with other members of Congress discussing how we can strengthen our trade policies and help American manufacturers.

Holding countries like China, Mexico and Colombia accountable to a minimum level of labor and environmental standards will help our workers compete, raise working conditions and living standards across the globe, and protect our natural resources.

Another top priority for the next Congress will be to reform our broken health care system. Studies have shown that families and employers spend an extra $922 on average each year to cover the costs of caring for the uninsured.

Working families and small businesses are having a hard enough time making ends meet as it is. That's why we need to develop a uniquely American health care system where individuals, businesses and government all pay a share, so that everyone will have access to a truly affordable - and portable - insurance product.

By eliminating the hidden costs of covering the uninsured, increasing competition among the pharmaceutical and insurance sectors, focusing on preventative care, and investing in health information technology, we will be able to reduce costs across the board, make sure everyone has access to affordable health insurance, and help our businesses compete.

Achieving these goals won't be easy. I can't promise you that I can turn our economy around overnight, but I'll get up every day and work hard to get people back to work. That I can promise you.

Read the original column here.