Although President-elect Barack Obama has profusely said he would not allow a lobbyist in the White House and would not accept money from the hidden persuaders, he has openly supported the open ballot in union elections, an outright erosion of the cornerstone of our democracy.

The “Employee Free Choice Act” supported by the troika of Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are ready to replace the privacy of American working men and women to vote on unionization by open ballot with a decidedly undemocratic process known as a “card check” while they themselves vote in Congress for Chairman of Committees by secret ballot.

The secret ballot is a voting method that is part of the core of our democracy.  This has been done over the years for a very apparent purpose, to avoid attempts to influence the voter by intimidation and/or bribery — and perhaps even worse if we are to examine the history of union organiziation.

Obama has made his feeling about this legislation very clear.  He promised, “We will pass the Employee Free Choice Act.  It’s not a matter of ‘if’; it’s a matter of ‘when.’  We may have to wait for the next president to sign it, but we will get this thing done.”

The National Labor Relations board has monitored union elections for decades.  Big Labor has not fared very well under the secret ballot.  American workers no longer see unionization as a priority.  The proof is in the numbers.  About 50 years ago, about four in 10 private sector workers were unionized.  Thirty years ago, that level fell to one in four.  Today, it’s less than 10 percent.  As a result big labor bosses are scrambling to stop the bleeding, and they’ve turned to the card check, even though it undermines a worker’s privacy.

Under the ‘card check’ system, unionization would occur as soon as half the workers had signed cards stating that they favor union representation.

Obama during his campaign for President said about the “Employee Free Choice Act”, “We’ll make it the law of the land when I’m President.”  This should frighten every citizen that treasures his right to vote and to express his opinions in this democracy in private.  Imagine voting in the past election with some Party goon looking over your shoulder attempting in some way to intimidate your vote?

While we are in the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, with full knowledge that most jobs in this country are provided by small business, are we as citizens going to allow this administration to take the right of privacy away from our workers for the benefit big labor?

We only have to examine the bailout programs our government is currently reviewing, and the possible downfall of the big three automobile companies.  Case in point, Ford Motor Company owes its union $17 Billion in pension funds — are the taxpayers expected to pay off this debt and can we really afford to create a scene of intimidation and coercion in union organizing in the future in this time of extraordinary unemployment?

It seems that big labor got to Obama for votes and he seems to be promising a pay off.  How is this any different than the lobbying he is opposed to?  It’s time for an Obama watch on this issue.

Furthermore, such an act  would be tampering with the core of our democracy, eliminates voter confidence by taking the right of privacy away and could possibly mark the transition of this Republic into a socialist dictatorship.