Great to hear an employer — albeit quite a flamboyant character
himself — make this so explicit:
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. 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.
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%” and imply that we are somehow immune to the
challenges that face our country. This could not be further from
the truth. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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. Instead of raising my taxes and
depositing that money into the Washington black-hole, let me spend
it on growing the company, hire more employees, and generate
substantial economic growth. 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. 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. They don’t want you to know that
the “1%”, as they like to label us, pay more than 31% of all the
taxes in this country. Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great
Constitution, 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.”
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
