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
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