Bizarre, Politics, Society

Billionaire Mogul Tells Workers To Vote Their Conscience . . . But He May Fire Them If Obama Is Reelected

David Siegel, the founder and CEO of real estate company Westgate Resorts, is a true piece of work. The billionaire real estate mogul sent a letter to employees that threatened to fire many of his employees if Obama is reelected and told them to consider that when they voted in November. The letter informed his workers that “What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration.” Forbes has pictures of the struggling Joe Six Pack in his gilded throne and equally gilded wife.


In the letter, Siegel expressed desperate frustration with his pitiless existence as a hard-working businessman:

Now, the economy is falling apart and people like me who made all the right decisions and invested in themselves are being forced to bail out all the people who didn’t. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed 42 years of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits, but the price I’ve paid is steep and not without wounds.

The suffering experienced by Siegel and his wife has led them to create a humble home that has attracted international expressions of condemnation. The house modeled on Versailles is two acres with nine kitchens and 90,000 square feet — bigger than a 747 airplane hangar. The home’s mahogany doors and windows alone cost $4 million. By the way, this ABC interview captures Siegel’s craven lifestyle and relationship with his wife, who he insists does not give him any “strength.”

The thought of Siegel penning this heart-felt and desperate letter at the kitchen table of one of the nine kitchens in the mansion is truly heart-breaking.

Here is the letter:

To All My Valued Employees,

As most of you know our company, Westgate Resorts, has continued to succeed in spite of a very dismal economy. There is no question that the economy has changed for the worse and we have not seen any improvement over the past four years. In spite of all of the challenges we have faced, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration. Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose. In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best. […]

Now, the economy is falling apart and people like me who made all the right decisions and invested in themselves are being forced to bail out all the people who didn’t. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed 42 years of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits, but the price I’ve paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the costs of running a business have gotten out of control, and let me tell you why: We are being taxed to death and the government thinks we don’t pay enough. We pay state taxes, federal taxes, property taxes, sales and use taxes, payroll taxes, workers compensation taxes and unemployment taxes. I even have to hire an entire department to manage all these taxes. The question I have is this: Who is really stimulating the economy? Is it the Government that wants to take money from those who have earned it and give it to those who have not, or is it people like me who built a company out of his garage and directly employs over 7000 people and hosts over 3 million people per year with a great vacation?

Obviously, our present government believes that taking my money is the right economic stimulus for this country. The fact is, if I deducted 50% of your paycheck you’d quit and you wouldn’t work here. I mean, why should you? Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, that’s what happens to me. […]

Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate business, not kill it. However, the power brokers in Washington believe redistributing wealth is the essential driver of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change they want.

So where am I going with all this? It’s quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company. Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.

So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn’t? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of protecting and saving your job. While the media wants to tell you to believe the “1 percenters” are bad, I’m telling you they are not. They create most of the jobs. If you lose your job, it won’t be at the hands of the “1%”; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country.

You see, I can no longer support a system that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, so will your opportunities. If that happens, you can find me in the Caribbean sitting on the beach, under a palm tree, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, your boss,

David Siegel

Who will watch over caring men like Siegel? I ask you.

Of course, Siegel gave the world’s least helpful story for Romney since it parallels the no infamous comments at a fundraiser:

Siegel’s letter has been a wake up call for many. So where am I going with all this? It’s quite simple. If a candidate from either of the two monopoly parties is elected, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this blog. Rather than grow this blog I will be forced to cut back. Since our budget and staff is zero, this will be even more severe in terms of cuts than Siegel’s plan. So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, how will this affect Jonathan?

Thank you for your time.

Source: WESH

56 thoughts on “Billionaire Mogul Tells Workers To Vote Their Conscience . . . But He May Fire Them If Obama Is Reelected”

  1. Commenting without reading:

    Top of the line, Professor Turley. Particularly liked your use of his reasoning at the end. Would you do a parody on Justice Scali next week?
    I won’t ask you to do ones on Justice Thomas or Romney as they have no line of reasoning.
    Siegel’s was penned in fact by his tax department.

    Just think, his house/mansion is 1,000 times larger than my cottage, and my apartment has only one kitchen!
    The modesty of the man.

    I bet he is ssd that the Biltmore estate in NC is larger. And San Simeon has more expensive imports.

    Amazing that tastes, and intellect do not grow with your fortune. Midas taught us that. Or waa is Croesus?

  2. Karl Friedrich:

    I never thought, in a million years, I would agree with you about anything but I was mistaken.

    “Fact is Uncle Sam is a congenital predator who runs like a gangster a one party state with 2 factions bickering over the best ways to pilfer the spoils generated by working people.”

    You are spot on. We disagree on the fix but we agree on the problem.

  5. Karl – where you alive and aware in 1999? If you were you have heard this bovine excrement about ‘no difference’ before. It worked beautify back then – even Ralphie himself said he wanted to see Boy George win because the damage he would do would shock the country into real change. How’d that work out for us Karl? Do you honestly think this nation would be in the huge hole it is now if Al Gore had served two terms?

    Greenwald is a good writer and a smart fellow but he is suffering from methane poisoning because of where he has his head on this subject.

    1. Frank:

      Would Gore have taken Clinton’s repeal of Glass-Steagal to its logical conclusion? The question answers itself.

      Ever read what a closet Pentagon Hawk Gore was? It started long before the bombing of civilians in Yugoslavia.

      Fact is Uncle Sam is a congenital predator who runs like a gangster a one party state with 2 factions bickering over the best ways to pilfer the spoils generated by working people.

      And the band drones on….

  6. Candy Kane:

    I typically only reiterate Glenn Greenwald’s conclusions here. Please point to an example where he doesn’t have his facts straight?

  8. “So where am I going with all this? It’s quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company.”

    *************************

  11. The trailer looked like a high school skit, but very well done. He was on top of the world until the crash? Ummm…

    I can’t guess any numbers on his P&L statement but I think I can guess his I.Q.

  12. I don’t understand the need for opulence especially in houses. A house that is fully paid for in my view is luxurious in itself because a person does not have to stress about any mortgage payments.

    Plus, the costs are lower. As long as it suits a person’s needs and a place they can be happy in lower costs are better. One never knows when the market might change and the house can be a burden otherwise.

    I appreciate this man’s risk taking to make his business the largest in the country, but if he lived a bit more humble it would give him much credibility.

    I do understand as a business owner the frustration he feels with regard to taxation. The current state of affairs in my industry the biggest threat to small business is taxation and state imposed fees. The state takes more money than the maker, the distributor/wholesaler, and the retailers make each in profits. And, that is before federal taxes kick in. But I will have to deal with it to make this business work. I know from life experience once politicians get their hands on tax money, they rarely repeal it on a state level.

    And yes employees do suffer when high taxes are imposed on business. It affects wages, employment opportunity just like any other cost such as durable goods or energy expense.

    I think he would be better off to stay out of politics as far as his public statements go. I made it a rule to avoid stirring up controversy since it can negatively affect sales. Seems to work for me at least.

  13. Perhaps he should go by “Bugsy” Seigel. Then he could end up like the previous incarnation to go by that moniker.

  14. Apparently he doesn’t remember what happened to the last people who lived in Versailles.

    Mike,

    The blood signing was a drag, but the pound of flesh? That’s what I found to be the roughest part. 😉

  15. This schmuck does show little taste or style in the home. Otteray Scribe has it right when comparing it to something like the Biltmore place up in the western part of North Carolina. If I worked for the schmuck and had a job lined up elsewhere then I woiuld publish the fact that I voted for Obama. Then if he fired me I would already have a place to go but I would file my unenemployment claim bases on his actions.

    Does someone have a list of the names of his time share properties and hotel ventures? I dont want to ever spend any money that goes his way.

  16. Say KFC,

    I saw this really neat guy on TV this morning. I think his name is Nick Perry or something like that. He sounds like he’s from the South someplace. I wonder if he’d run for president?

  17. KFC,

    Since when have facts made a difference to you, you are of the 53% that ruinme needs to pay off the wars debts.

  19. nick, To a certain extent but they really don’t want those Bush tax cuts to expire.

  20. Candy:

    Spoken like a true defender of the plutocracy!

    Avoid the facts and attack the messenger is the classic MO of the bootlickers of the status quo.

Comments are closed.