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[TacticalFox88]

The CEO of a massive timeshare company sent an email about the upcoming election to his employees yesterday, threatening to fire some of them if President Obama wins re-election.
David Siegel, who owns Florida-based Westgate Resorts, sent an email to all his employees yesterday to discuss the upcoming election.

“The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job,” Siegel wrote, noting that the company is “the most profitable [it's] ever been.” “What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration.” He went on to say that although he “can’t tell you whom to vote for,” if Obama is re-elected, it would mean “fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.”

Here are a few select paragraphs from the email:
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.
[...]
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 can view the email in full here.

Siegel earned national notoriety this year for his quest to build the biggest house in America, “a sprawling, 90,000-square-foot mansion inspired by Versailles.”
In a bizarre twist, Siegel’s email was modeled after a fake letter that made the rounds on the internet during the last last presidential election. He confirmed his own email’s authenticity in a phone call to Gawker, saying that “it speaks the truth” and gives employees “something to think about when they go to the polls.”
T
hinkProgress reached out to Siegel for comment, but no response was given.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/10/09/978211/david-siegel-fire-employees/

I'm utterly disgusted. And people still think the 1 percent are looking out for your best interests? Supply side economics is a fucking joke.

 

[Funky Papa]

Timeshare companies are the scum of the earth and their executives should be chased like vermin.

That's all I have to say.

 

[ronito]

This is a good analogy of what's happened in America. The ones with the money taking the rest of the country hostage.

 

[aronnov reborn]

could a business owner just go out the parking lot and pick vehicles that have obama bumper stickers on it and fire those employees? that's not breaking any laws is it?

 

[RumblingRosco]

Hey, at least this guy isn't dancing around the idea of using his money and power to his advantage. Personally, I find it refreshing.

could a business owner just go out the parking lot and pick vehicles that have obama bumper stickers on it and fire those employees? that's not breaking any laws is it?

If the employer was dumb enough to tell anyone that was his reasoning, I sure as hell hope people would sue his ass for some form of discrimination or something. Likely, though, the employer is smart enough to blame it on something unrelated.

 

[B-Dubs]

I swear to god, someone should be able to sue this assface.

could a business owner just go out the parking lot and pick vehicles that have obama bumper stickers on it and fire those employees? that's not breaking any laws is it?

Unless he comes up with another reason I think it is.

 

[BertramCooper]

The job creators giveth, the job creators taketh away.

 

[giga]

Sounds like a nice place to work.

 

[onadesertedisland]

Pitchforks, guillotines and cake.

 

[Mr. Sam]

Is this not illegal?

 

[Milchjon]

"Our company is doing great under Obama, so we're fucked if Obama gets elected."

 

[RiggenBlaque]

This guy is a piece of shit, but I think the title of the thread is a little sensationalist.

 

[Darias]

Couldn't he be prosecuted under vote tampering laws? He is effectively threatening their livelihood and coercing them to vote a certain way.

 

[mackattk]

So because the company is the most profitable it has ever been in the past, if profits in the future decrease (but is still profitable), then employees need to be let go. WHAT?

 

[ffdgh]

Nice excuses......not.

 

[phosphor112]

Is that legal? To threaten your employees with job loss if they don't vote a certain way?

 

[Baconsaurus Rex]

Blackmailing is a felony

 

[Kusagari]

I love how he admits his company is doing better than ever, which makes the whole thing even more ridiculous.

 

[Magilla]

"Our company is doing great under Obama, so we're fucked if Obama gets elected."

Yeah, that part was some next level disconnect. Maybe he thinks that things are getting too good and if they get better it will just loop around and become worse? I don't know!

 

[Kurtofan]

I can't imagine the shitstorm if that happened here aha.

 

[Father_Brain]

Why do I get the feeling that part of him is hoping Obama wins, just so he has an excuse to exact his Galtian vengeance on the parasite classes?

 

[commedieu]

This is a good analogy of what's happened in America. The ones with the money taking the rest of the country hostage.

4 points to ronito!

The only thing I really like about the Obama administration, is that it has severely frustrated the bigots and self centered selfish assholes of the world. They are going batshit insane.

The rest of the world is burning, might as well enjoy the show..

 

[RukusProvider]

Most people become successful by being "greedy" and unrelenting ambition. I give him credit for putting it in writing vs keeping it contained within his social circle as most people at his level do.

 

[RionaaM]

While the media wants to tell you to believe the “1 percenters” are bad, I’m telling you they are not.

I'm glad he clarified. For a moment I thought he was bad, threatening to fire his employees if his favorite candidate didn't win.

 

[thefit]

could a business owner just go out the parking lot and pick vehicles that have obama bumper stickers on it and fire those employees? that's not breaking any laws is it?

Depends on the state I suppose. It would make for and easy lawsuit here in Cali. You want to fire someone because of their political views being represented on their property you better be prepared to loose a wrongful termination lawsuit.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Wouldn't he be rightfully sued if such a thing happened?

 

[dinazimmerman]

nvm

 

[Septy]

Greed knows no limits.

 

[virtuoso88]

Wouldn't he be rightfully sued if such a thing happened?

If Obama wins and he just started firing people because of it sure. If Obama wins and places new taxes on him and he starts letting people go, then I would think not.

 

[dave is ok]

I remember this one

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/valuedemployees.asp

 

[DietRob]

I'm rich so instead of becoming less rich I'm going to offset the cost by firing you freeloading socialistic bastards.

This guy sounds like an awesome boss.

 

[Cat Party]

Is that legal? To threaten your employees with job loss if they don't vote a certain way?

That would be illegal, absolutely. But what his email says is not illegal. Just really shitty. He doesn't hint that people will be terminated based on whether they voted for Obama or not.

EDIT:

I remember this one

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/valuedemployees.asp

lol, ThinkProgress just got punked big time.

DOUBLE EDIT:

Even better, it turns out it's real, and the CEO apparently loved the fake email so much he copied it. WOW.

 

[CharlieDigital]

This is a good analogy of what's happened in America. The ones with the money taking the rest of the country hostage.

I like this summary.

If GAF had an up-vote system, I'd up-vote the shit out of this.

 

[Drencrom]

Land of the free.

 

[Septy]

Remember this the next time anyone tells you it's the poor waging class warfare.

 

[Shadow780]

Rise. People of Gotham.

 

[Zoe]

If the employer was dumb enough to tell anyone that was his reasoning, I sure as hell hope people would sue his ass for some form of discrimination or something. Likely, though, the employer is smart enough to blame it on something unrelated.

That's not discrimination. They could milk him dry with unemployment though.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Well based on recent polling they have nothing to worry about

 

[TommyT]

They can all come work for me. It's just one job though and they can't work it at the same time so they'll have to split the hours.

 

[_woLf]

"Our company is doing great under Obama, so we're fucked if Obama gets elected."

Pretty much this.

 

[Host Samurai]

I wonder how much this CEO pays his employees in contrast to what he is making.

 

[metalslimer]

Well based on recent polling they have nothing to worry about

Please no one fall for this.

 

[bounchfx]

the way I see it, companies don't want less profits... even if it's still profits, so they'll cut jobs instead of taking a 40 million bonus as opposed to a 90 million bonus. It's fucking ridiculous.

I could understand if the changes resulted in putting the company at risk, but most of what I've seen is simply the people in charge getting less, which is something they just need to fucking deal with - don't take it out on your employees.

 

[giga]

I remember this one

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/valuedemployees.asp

It's real.

UPDATE: 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. He added that he "hasn't had any negative feedback" on the letter.

http://gawker.com/5950189/the-ceo-w...m_source=gawker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

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.

But as the CEO, doesn't he have the choice to create jobs or cut them? And isn't he choosing to cut jobs? There is a pretty big chasm between "can't" and "won't". A scorched earth policy because you have higher taxes isn't a mature way to handle your political disagreements.

 

[The Mana Legend]

Uh, shouldn't this be illegal? He is basically forcing his employees to vote for Obama, or else lose their jobs.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

I'm confused. He's saying the company is doing well, etc. etc. Does he not know what president is in office now? Does that sound weird to anyone else?

Anyway, he's scum. I'd be looking for a way out as an employee myself.

 

[Kusagari]

It's real.


http://gawker.com/5950189/the-ceo-w...m_source=gawker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

lol at him not having "negative feedback."

I'm sure your employees will go up and tell you what they feel after that!

 

[koryuken]

Uh, shouldn't this be illegal? He is basically forcing his employees to vote for Obama, or else lose their jobs.

quite the opposite.

 

[Mesoian]

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/10/09/978211/david-siegel-fire-employees/

I'm utterly disgusted. And people still think the 1 percent are looking out for your best interests? Supply side economics is a fucking joke.

Way to go, should Obama wins, he just made it impossible to fire or lay off any employees without a wrongful termination suite.

Fucking retard.

Uh, shouldn't this be illegal? He is basically forcing his employees to vote for Obama, or else lose their jobs.

It IS illegal.