David Siegel owns Westgate Resorts, a timeshare company. Hate him yet? Well, keep reading. He claims that he was responsible for the election of George W. Bush. Now do you hate him? Not so fast. He says he did it by basically coercing employees and is doing it again for this election.
Here’s what he told Bloomberg:
“Whenever I saw a negative article about [Al] Gore, I put it in with the paychecks of my 8,000 employees. I had my managers do a survey on every employee. If they liked Bush, we made them register to vote. But not if they liked Gore. The week before [the election] we made 80,000 phone calls through my call center—they were robo-calls. On Election Day, we made sure everyone who was voting for Bush got to the polls. I didn’t know he would win by 527 votes. Afterward, we did a survey among the employees to find out who voted who wouldn’t have otherwise. One thousand of them said so.”
Now do you hate him? Wait, there’s more to come. He told his employees that if Obama is reelected, he will fire them. I’m not kidding. Here is the email he sent to his employees, with my comments in italics.
Subject: Message from David Siegel
Date:Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:58:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: [David Siegel]
To: [All employees]
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.
You know, the current jobs report that was totally faked aside.
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,
Really? You used whom, but ended the phrase with a preposition?
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.
However, let me share a few facts that might help you decide what is in your best interest. The current administration and members of the press have perpetuated an environment that casts employers against employees. They want you to believe that we live in a class system where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. They label us the “1%”
You are the 1%. It’s not a label, it’s simple mathematics. A man as wealthy as yourself should be able to employ people who can figure that out for you.
and imply that we are somehow immune to the challenges that face our country.This could not be further from the truth.
Really? Quick, what’s the price of a loaf of bread?
Sure, you may have heard about the big home that I’m building. I’m sure many people think that I live a privileged life. However, what you don’t see or hear is the true story behind any success that I have achieved.
I started this company over 42 years ago. At that time, I lived in a very modest home. I converted my garage into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
So you fucking owe me.
We didn’t eat in fancy restaurants or take expensive vacations because every dollar I made went back into this company. I drove an old used car, and often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business — hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Meanwhile, many of my friends got regular jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a nice income, and they spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into this business —-with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford to buy whatever I wanted. Even to this day, every dime I earn goes back into this company. Over the past four years I have had to stop building my dream house, cut back on all of my expenses, and take my kids out of private schools simply to keep this company strong and to keep you employed.
Wait, if every dime you earn goes back into this company, what paid for the dream house, and your kid’s private schools in the first place? How did you afford to eat?
Just think about this – most of you arrive at work in the morning and leave that afternoon and the rest of your time is yours to do as you please. But not me- there is no “off” button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have that freedom. I eat, live, and breathe this company every minute of the day, every day of the week. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. I know many of you work hard and do a great job, but I’m the one who has to sign every check, pay every expense, and make sure that this company continues to succeed.
You’re right. None of your employees are doing jack shit to ensure this company succeeds. And I hope they use this passage to tell you to fuck off when you call them on a day off.
Unfortunately, what most people see is the nice house and the lavish lifestyle. What the press certainly does not want you to see, is the true story of the hard work and sacrifices I’ve made.
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.
No, no you’re not.
The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed 42 years of my life for.
The “People who overspent their paychecks” happens to be the Bush Administration; the very administration you take credit for electing. You ever look up the word “irony?”
Yes, business ownership has its benefits, but the price I’ve paid is steep and not without wounds.
Tell me about it. These solid gold toilets are fucking COLD in the morning. Oh, you got the model that circulates heated water through the seat? Wish I’d thought of that.
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,
You know, taxes that help the state.
federal taxes,
You know, taxes that help you rebuild because you live where there is a fucking hurricane SEASON.
property taxes, sales and use taxes,
You know, taxes that help your community employ law enforcement officers and a fire department, and useless bullshit like that.
payroll taxes, workers compensation taxes and unemployment taxes.
You know, taxes that directly benefit your employees. But, no, you’re right, your employees are totally sympathetic to the fact that you have to pay into a fund that would help them if they lost an arm on one of your construction sites.
I even have to hire an entire department to manage all these taxes.
Really? You need an accounting department? The horror.
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 to use it to build roads and rebuild your community after hurricanes?
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?
Or is it your employees who all work to line your pockets with more money? Nah, it’s not that one. They’re all sucking off the corporate teat just like the socialist government.
Obviously, our present government believes that taking my money is the right economic stimulus for this country.
You know that your employees all pay taxes too, right?
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.
Except 50% of like $40,000 is $20,000. 50% of well over a million is still well over a million.
Here is what most people don’t understand and the press and our Government has chosen to ignore – to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy.
Right! The workforce! Oh, wait, that’s wrong.
Instead of raising my taxes and depositing that money into the Washington black-hole,
That’s paying for two wars that the guy you take credit for electing started
let me spend it on growing the company, hire more employees, and generate substantial economic growth.
Although I totally mean let me spend it on my house and private schools for my kids.
My employees will enjoy the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But that is not what our current Government wants you to believe.
You have the tax cuts right now. Are you rewarding your employees with promotions and better salaries? Because this sort of implies that you aren’t.
They want you to believe that it somehow makes sense to take more from those who create wealth and give it to those who do not, and somehow our economy will improve.
Because it will. Go take a look at the tax scheme from the oft-lauded fifties. Let’s say you made a million dollars last year. I’m sure it was more, but I don’t want to overshoot here. According to this table, in 1957 you paid 78% in taxes. If you made over $3.1 million, you paid ninety one percent. I spelled that out because it seemed kinda important.
They don’t want you to know that the “1%”, as they like to label us,
Once again, fucking math.
pay more than 31% of all the taxes in this country.
And the rest of us pay 69% of the taxes in this country. You see how I got there? I subtracted 31 from 100 and got 69. Once again, you should hire someone with a calculator.
Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great Constitution,
No, he’s not. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution was largely written by James Madison. Jefferson also said, “Where’s that one hot slave? I wanna put my dick in her.” Just saying, as long as we’re picking and choosing quotes. By the way, Jefferson was also against establishing a federal mint, or a federal bank to assume the debt of the states and establish credit for the new nation. Yeah, he’s a real economic genius there.
once said, “democracy” will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
Why is democracy in quotes? Was that a Freudian slip?
Business is at the heart of America and always has been.
Really? So this freedom part is all bullshit?
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.
No, they don’t. Please go read a fucking pamphlet on what socialism is, because I’m tired of explaining it to you fucking idiots.
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.
Theeere it is.
Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.
Except me. With the money I save, I’m putting my kids in a private school made of komodo dragon and bits of the moon Titan that I built a spaceship to go mine.
So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn’t?
The guy whose business it was to buy companies and sell them off piecemeal? Or the guy who just brought unemployment below where it was when he took office?
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.
Because I’m washing my hands of this whole “elect Obama and I fire you” thing that I just said like two minutes ago.
While the media wants to tell you to believe the “1 percenters” are bad, I’m telling you they are not.
Just to reiterate, I’m threatening your employment.
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.
Because, once again, while I may be the one who fired you, it’s totally the black dude’s fault.
You see, I can no longer support a system that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive.
So I’m going to penalize the people who work for me.
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.
But still, I’m totally the underdog here.
Signed, your boss,
Either way, not for long, because I have a “reply all” button and know how to spell “Fuck you.”
David Siegel
Now do you hate him?
