In these tough times the people of North Carolina have a choice to make.

We can choose to allow the same old politics in Raleigh, the same tired ideas, the same way of doing business, and we can hope and pray that we come out of this recession alright.

Or we can fundamentally change our approach. We can embrace real reform. We can emerge from this recession smarter, leaner, and poised to be the best place in the world to live and work.

Early this year, I made clear where I stand.

I made it clear that the same old way of doing business is no longer good enough for the people of North Carolina. It's time to embrace real reform. It's time to change the way we do business across the board.

It's time to set government straight.

Between now and when the N.C. General Assembly convenes in May, I will launch a series of initiatives to start creating the fundamental change we need.

First, we will get smarter about keeping and creating jobs by focusing on what the people of North Carolina do best: small business and innovation.

We will help small businesses get the opportunities they need to start growing and hiring again, and we will give our people opportunities to be innovative -- to take risks on big ideas that have the potential to create jobs down the line.

Keeping and creating jobs in North Carolina is my #1 priority. Nothing is more important.

Creating jobs in the long-term comes down to one thing: education.

If North Carolina's workers have the skills and talent businesses need, then businesses will start and grow in North Carolina. If North Carolina's workers don't have the skills, North Carolina's workers won't get the jobs. It's as simple as that.

Today only 73 percent of our students graduate from high school within five years. At that rate -- almost 30 percent of North Carolina's future workers won't have the skills to get good jobs.

So my second priority is to refocus North Carolina's public schools on a single, bold goal: Every child, no matter where he or she lives in North Carolina, must graduate from high school with what it really takes to succeed in a career, college or technical training.

I'm asking all North Carolinians -- parents, students, teachers, business and community leaders -- to work with me toward that goal.

This isn't education for education's sake. It's education for job creation.

Third, I will fundamentally change the way state government works. That will be the drumbeat driving everything I do for the next three years. I will say it again and again: It's time to set government straight.

We will set government straight by cracking down on corruption -- strengthening ethics -- and fighting waste, abuse and fraud, like Medicaid fraud.

We will eliminate outdated programs -- streamline wherever possible -- and explore innovations that have the potential to make government work better for less.

In these tough times we can't afford a government that works the same way it did in our parent's and grandparents' day. We can't afford the same old games in Raleigh. We can't afford business as usual.

The people of North Carolina deserve better than that.

Beverly Perdue is governor of North Carolina.