Yes, Jimmy, the secret ballot is a basic tenet of democracy.

Unwittingly, Jimmy Hoffa explains why everyone should oppose "card check." Hoffa asked, “Since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy?” Only since the beginning and at every point in which people actually wanted democracy to work.

Would anyone seriously suggest that Americans surrender their right to the privacy of the secret ballot in political elections? Public voting invites intimidation, threats and violence.

Of course, unions support card check for exactly that reason. They lose elections using secret ballots. Workers who signed cards calling for an election to determine unionization then vote against the union in the final election in the privacy of the secret ballot.

The unions expect to greatly increase the number of unionized businesses through the card check process. Their organizers will be able to intimidate enough workers to sign the "card check" who would vote against unionization if they had a secret ballot.

Obama opposes the secret ballot.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama told 100 top AFL-CIO leaders in a closed meeting that his administration supports the misnamed "Employee Free Choice Act." This will allow for the unionization of a business unit on the basis of signed cards without the need of a secret ballot election.

This permits actual threats by union organizers or simple peer pressure to intimidate workers to sign union cards. In the past, unions were able to win sufficient signatures on the cards, but subsequently lost the election because of secret ballots.

Many workers sign the cards to appease their co-workers, but then vote against unionization in the privacy of the election booth. Obama and the unions know that they cannot win support for unionization through democratic elections.

Obama is now paying off the unions for their support in the election. Unfortunately, this also follows the path of FDR that helped change a recession into the Great Depression. Roosevelt encouraged unionization that artificially increased labor costs and reduced employment. That will occur as a result of Obama's legislation.

Mr. President, the secret ballot is the foundation of democracy. Nothing can justify denying workers the right to vote their true opinion in the privacy of the ballot box in union elections just as in political elections.

Mickey Kaus nails the "card check" quesiton.

Kaus describes his experience in a neighborhood election on the question of instituting parking restrictions. His neighbors strongly supported the proposition, while he opposed it. He was grateful for the secret ballot that allowed him to vote his conscience. As he said, "If we had to vote in public, I would probably have had to support my neighbors."

This explains why unions want "card check" to allow for public balloting whether to require union representation in a business. Physical intimidation isn't required for the results of a public ballot to differ from secret ballot. "All that's required is a desire not to tell your pro-union buddy to his face that you think he's wrong."

Of course, that is precisely why we use a secret ballot in all federal, state and local elections. We can vote our conscience in the privacy of the election booth without fear of what our neighbor may think.