In the midst of the campaign can we not stand back and see the damage some special interests are causing?

We all know the special interests hold power. In the form of money. Money they give or withhold from politicians who need it to stage campaigns.

The special interests hold power in votes as well. The votes they control or influence can win or lose some elections.

But sometimes the special interests push politicians into decisions that are just plain wrong.

One of these decisions concerns the secret ballot for workers. If a union tries to organize workers, the workers vote on the issue by secret ballot.

Unions, of course, have had problems winning votes from workers. Especially in the private sector. Union membership has fallen below 10 percent with private sector workers.

The unions have come up with a simple solution to their problem: Take away the secret ballot. Force workers to vote by filling out a card in front of others. In front of union organizers. In front of supervisors. In front of other workers.

In other words, in front of people who can punish them if they vote the wrong way.

Unions have pushed politicians to allow this theft of the secret ballot. Democrats have supported it and voted it through the House. The Senate has not yet approved it. Senator Obama says he will be happy to sign this into law if he is elected.

I can understand why the Democrats vote for this measure. They feel they need the money and votes from unions.

But let us stand back and look at what this law will do. The secret ballot is one of our most precious possessions. It protects all of us. From ancient Greece and Roman times onward people have fought to secure the secret ballot. They have it in most countries. In countries ruled by thugs, they usually don’t.