The Governor of Hawaii has proven that she is a woman of firm principles. She had vowed to veto a bill, passed by the legislator, which would have permitted unions to organize workers by means of card checks.
Now, Governor Linda Lingle has kept her promise and vetoed an undemocratic bill that would have been a burden on the economy of her state.
The Governor rightly stated that card checks would be a “poor substitute for the secret ballot and is ripe for abuse.”
In our democratic republic, our political institutions have thrived based upon the participation of the citizenry, casting their ballots without fear of intimidation. It is obvious to students of democracy that the replacement of secret ballots with card checks would make workers vulnerable to intimidation by aggressive union organizers.
One can only hope that the legislators of Hawaii will rise above union pressure and not attempt to override the courageous veto of Governor Lingle.
