In case Mr. Geithner doesn't get the political point, the letter helpfully notes that "there is now a Congressional effort underway to curb lobbying by TARP recipients." Senators Dianne Feinstein (California) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) are leading that effort to limit corporate political speech, and Ms. Burger copies no fewer than 13 Members of Congress on her Treasury missive.

The double standard here is remarkable. Every year, unions collect millions of dollars in grants from government agencies they lobby. In 2002 and 2003, the Service Employees International Union -- the main driver behind Ms. Burger's consortium -- lobbi...

In case Mr. Geithner doesn't get the political point, the letter helpfully notes that "there is now a Congressional effort underway to curb lobbying by TARP recipients." Senators Dianne Feinstein (California) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) are leading that effort to limit corporate political speech, and Ms. Burger copies no fewer than 13 Members of Congress on her Treasury missive.

The double standard here is remarkable. Every year, unions collect millions of dollars in grants from government agencies they lobby. In 2002 and 2003, the Service Employees International Union -- the main driver behind Ms. Burger's consortium -- lobbied the Department of Health and Human Services while receiving between $563,226 and $938,388 per year in grants. Imagine if Tom DeLay had ever said that labor unions or AARP couldn't speak up about Medicare because they or their affiliates had accepted federal grants. The headlines would have read: "Republican Gag Rule."

Labor chiefs are desperate to pass their easy-organizing agenda this year, because they know liberal majorities on Capitol Hill won't last. They also know they haven't been able to organize workers with a level playing field, so they want to rewrite the rules so their organizers can see which individual workers are voting no and apply peer and other pressure. Most workers can see how unions have contributed to the destruction of Detroit, U.S. steel makers and so many other industries. That's why unions need government-sanctioned coercion to prevail both against business and with workers.

Congratulations to Principal Financial's Chairman J. Barry Griswell, aided in particular by the Chamber of Commerce, for refusing to succumb to this thuggery.