Billionaire Will Own Largest Home in U.S. and Promises to Fire All His Employees if Obama is Reelected

These two key points aren’t all that related, but I thought the busy title was necessary to fully encompass just how big of a boss this guy is. His name is David Siegel, and he owns Westgate Resorts, the largest timeshare company in the world. He and wife Jackie, the blonde pictured above with the blouse bombs, are currently building a 90,000 square-foot home in Florida called Versailles. Upon completion, it will become the largest privately-owned home in the United States.

The home will include:

– 13 bedrooms
– 23 full bathrooms
– 6,000-square-foot master suite (with plans in place for a bed on a rotating platform)
– banquet kitchen
– 10 satellite kitchens
– 20-car garage
– three pools
– two-story wine cellar
– grand hall with a 30-foot stained glass dome

Frankly, I think the 10 satellite kitchens are a little déclassé, but whatever. It’s your money, Dave.

This is a power move in itself, but Dave’s no one-trick pony. He has something else up his sleeve. Now, it’s pretty cold-hearted, but Dave strikes me as the kinda guy that doesn’t concern himself with his public perception. I mean the man is posing for a picture in a golden throne with his much younger, voluptuous, attractive wife sitting on his lap. You think a few negative press clippings are gonna make him skip a golf round? Dave says that despite being “the most profitable [he has] ever been,” he will fire his employees if Obama stays in the White House for another four years. It would appear he is not joking.

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

Power move.

Now, you may be thinking this is fake. It is, in fact, very similar to a chain email that went viral in 2008 prior to the presidential election. It is authentic, though, proven by the folks at Gawker who spoke to Siegel:

Shortly after we posted this letter, we found out, thanks to multiple readers, that it bore suspicious resemblances to a popular chain letter that was circulated just before the 2008 elections. Well, we just got off the phone with David Siegel, who told us the letter below is real, and that it was sent out to all of his employees yesterday. “I did use the letter that had circulated before as a guideline, but I changed it [to fit my circumstances],” he told us. “It speaks the truth and it gives [employees] something to think about when they go to the polls.” He also said that its threats of possible layoffs are real, based on his assessment of the political and economic climate.

[Source]

***


  1. Boat shoes and Booze

    This guy should be in the next American Icons series.
    It might be slightly unethical to fire every single employee, but it is his company and he can do whatever he pleases with it.

    12 years ago at 9:36 pm
  2. Mutant

    That’s a pretty fucking power move but what I will say is that if he were to cut all those guys he’d sortove victimize his company. Maybe not long term because he clearly has the capability to reemploy all those guys but it would have a negative effect. Think how pissed you be if you were one of his employees and were laid off because your fucking boss is making a power statement in politics

    12 years ago at 10:17 pm
    1. 1844_The_Win

      Jesus, where to even begin… First of all, “sortove” is nowhere close to a word. Secondly, he is implying he will have to lay off the workers because he is being taxed heavily. The victimization of his company is coming from the government and he is left with no other option besides laying off employees. In closing, you are SORT OF a retard.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

      12 years ago at 10:42 pm
    2. Mutant

      Oh sortove isn’t a word? Thanks, I didn’t fucking realize that. I apologize for clearly fucking up your day using an abbreviation. Where to begin- well first off you’re acting like he doesn’t have a decision in this situation regarding laying off his employees and that’s completely untrue. If he actually DID have his company before his ego, then he would be smart enough NOT to lay off his employees despite his taxes. You’re trying to tell me that he won’t be able to continue employing his workers because of a reform in taxes but he can finance the construction of one of the biggest fucking houses? Westgate Resorts was founded in the 1970s, his business has clearly been under an administration where he had to face higher taxes. You’re telling me that this time is different than the others especially when his business is at a time where it is more profitable than ever?

      Go fuck yourself 1844.

      12 years ago at 5:18 pm
    3. Success

      Wait, “sortove” is an abbreviation? It’s more letters than “sort of”…

      12 years ago at 3:33 pm
  3. crowan

    First and foremost, well fucking done. I’ve been preaching effectively this for months. I do have one question (rather non-pivotal, but a question nonetheless), is he shutting down the company following his retirement or passing it on without a staff? If the latter is the case, he made his point without any real repercussions (the new owner could just re-employ the staff). Yet if it is the former, the timeshares owned through Westgate could effectively be thrown away. Talk about a ripple effect.

    12 years ago at 10:56 pm
  4. FuckLiberals69

    Romney admitted in the last debate that he wouldn’t cut taxes on millionaires. They’re both fucking socialists.

    12 years ago at 12:31 am
    1. TrickleDown

      But he wouldn’t raise them as Obama would. If Obama wins that costs me a good 25k more in taxes a year. Penny saved=penny earned

      12 years ago at 11:02 am
    2. Bros A Bank

      Thanks to time-value of money, a penny saved>penny earned. That is why tax breaks are so critical especially for those who save.

      12 years ago at 12:59 pm
  5. Clement Frattlee

    The largest privately owned home in the U.S. is the Biltmore, as everyone worth their shit learned when they were ten. Except for Dorn, I guess.

    12 years ago at 7:30 am