Tax is on profit, not on revenue. If a company is profitable before a tax increase, it's still profitable after one. This fact should be clear to anyone who understands how taxation works. That this kind of scaremongering works at all is an indictment of our educational system.

From pre-election 2008, KLAS
"Westgate Resorts books time shares for Planet Hollywood but today the nation's largest timeshare company shed hundreds of workers. They've been saying it for years, "Build it and they will come." However, the financial crisis has put the construction of some new Las Vegas resorts on hold."
And archived or unavailable:
Westgate Resorts to lay off hundreds of workers - Orlando...‎
Orlando Sentinel - Sep 27, 2008
... is shutting down much of its sales and preparing to lay off hundreds of people. Company President David Siegel said Friday that Westgate is facing a financing ...

And I bet he blamed Bush for that, amirite?

You can't acquire grace.

What a whiny sack of shit. If there's one thing I canNOT stand, it's people who start their own businesses who then whine and bitch about how their employees get to go home, go on holiday, etc., but "I have no off switch." Then don't start a business, you imbecile.

You stay classy Mr Siegel

How could this be about the owners of Versailles? Didn't they already lose everything, and a documentary film was made about how their lives were falling apart as they were erecting their enormous monument to conspicuous consumption?

http://www.magpictures.com/thequeenofver…

Oh wait, here's how he feels about Bush.

"A financial supporter of Republican candidates—“we’re not in politics but we’ve gotten a lot of politicians elected,” he says—Siegel takes credit for putting George W. Bush into office.

“The biggest impact [I made] on the world was getting George W. Bush elected” president the first time, he says as plainly as if he were talking about the balmy weather outside. “I got him 2,000 votes in Florida.” Bush won the state by 537 votes to beat Vice President Al Gore in the controversial election settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Pressed to explain how he personally delivered the winning margin, Siegel doesn’t give specifics, only saying, “It was legal.” But he acknowledges now that he has some remorse for helping Bush become president. “I feel bad for it now.”"

How can he pretend he didn't go bust during the Bush administration when his life is so public there's a documentary about it? His hypocrisy is amusing, although expected. I feel sorry for his workers. Imagine, he signs his letter "Your Boss," as if they have no idea who they work for.

"Apres moi, le deluge."

If you own a $100 million house but have to take your kids out of private school because of an economic downturn, you really shouldn't be talking shit about people overspending their paychecks.

Damn, just too late to point out what @11 just did.

How appropriate that he would name his house "Versailles" when he acts in a manner that will all but assure him a place up against the wall when the revolution comes

This ought to be illegal. An employer should have no right to interfere with an employee's political expression.

Such a tired line about "the 1% creating most of the jobs." It's pure fiction. Most jobs are created by small businesses. Most small business owners are not in the 1%. 1%ers are running large corporations. They're running hedge funds. Most of them aren't creating any jobs at all.

Why is it that the media allows people to say things so many times without debunking it that it eventually becomes accepted regardless of the facts?

I've had plenty of employers, but I'll be damned if I ever have a "boss".

I like how he says "he'll have no choice." That's the main flaw behind those Randians: it's not that they're incompetent, oh no! it's because those meanie government always stands in their way.

Hey, guess what? Hundreds of geniuses have impacted the world while dealing w/ interference from the "small-minded." It's called 'dealing with it.' What this guy is saying is that he's really just an incompetent boob that can't handle what other people are able to handle, and so he's going to take it out on whomever he can kick.

What an asswipe. But that's American conservatism for you.

This from the same guy who offered one of his employees a million dollars to have sex with him. She settled for $5.4 million in court.

fuck you, mr. siegal.

I too own a business that I built with my 5 employees in the worst economy since the great depression.

I didn't build it by myself. Without the loyalty and hard work of my employees, we have stayed above water, barely. But we have survived.

We all take home the same pay. Yes, I work most weekends and late into the night. I worry that I won't meet payroll. I worry that I won't be able to pay the rent or my taxes. But I also realize that my employees have lives of their own. They also have hopes and dreams. They have also given up other opportunities to keep us going. And for that I am very grateful.

It is sad that you feel so abused by our government. But let me ask you this, Mr. Siegal. Many young people have served multiple deployments to the Middle East. Many have given up their hopes and dreams with the loss of limbs. Some 7,000 have given their lives - just so you can live your dreams of owning the largest mansion in America. How many of them work for you? How many of them have you reached out to employ?

Do you think you built your company by yourself? Or do you think you might just owe a little bit to your employees, and maybe those that have sacrificed so much for you?

fuck you, mr. siegal. May you spend the rest of your life alone in your empty home. You deserve no less.

@14 Where is the evidence that he is interfering with his employees? All he did was send out an email explaining what he thinks the consequences of the election would be. The word I would use for that is "lobbying", not "interfering".

Awww poor Mr. Scrooge wont spend a dime on his own comforts! Awwww

@20 the same letter to his "equals" (ie: fellow business owners - I will need to cut jobs) would be lobbying. Sending it to his employees crosses that line from lobbying to coercion (I will need to cut YOUR job). Not a hard distinction to make if you want to think, not just react.

He who is building the largest private house in America... "Versailles"... puke... Oh yeah, he's hurting baaaad.......

Fucker.

Remember when FDR instituted a 95% top tax rate on the wealthiest Americans, and it hurt employment? Oh right, you don't because THE EXACT OPPOSITE HAPPENED. And the government solved it's funding problem. And poured it into social services that DID help save the economy while rich assholes like the gentleman mentioned in this article sat on their hands.

He's such a jackass. He told the Park City Resort people that they'd be fired if Obama was elected, yet last year he was whining about how his lease was up on the ski resort land and what an impact that would have to the local economy if they had to close and asked for gov't intervention to prevent Talisker (Canadian company) from taking over the land because they weren't giving him a lease renewal...

How is this not voter intimidation?

Here's the thing about the hospitality industry: it's labor intensive. So if he were to pitch his glamour fit and go off and retire, he would presumably have to sell his properties. Or, he would go bankrupt, and they would be taken from him. In any event, the companies who buy his properties will hire most of his people to continue to run them.

So he's full of - I hate to use the word - but, well, shit.

@26 - I was just about to say that myself. Seriously, telling someone "If you know what's good for you, you'll vote for the person I want you to vote for" is bald-faced coercion.

Businesses don't stimulate the economy on their own. If there are no consumers, businesses fail. I'm sure that Siegel's efforts have contributed to his business success, but without customers and workers he'd still be in his garage. How fucking dare he threaten employees like this.

@1, the State of Washington actually takes tax on your gross receipts, not profit, but gross revenue. They get paid before I do. So in a down year, like the past several, I've been running super lean and trimmed all I could to stay in business and keep my employees on the payroll. While my gross may be close to what it was a few years ago, the profit margin is a third. My profit (when I've had one) is miniscule. Yet, the state still gets their same percentage regardless. I have no problem paying taxes on profit, but this state is just totally backwards.

There's too much to nitpick and correct. All I can say is no matter how good of a tip any of his employees get, it'll never balance having to work for that guy.

Sounds like this guy was Romney's debate coach.

Well the guy's not only a dick but a lying dick. No wonder he's for Romney/Ryan. This is a LAZY business man.

@30,

Yes, that's true, and I agree with you that our B&O taxes are fucked, but Obama has nothing to do with that. Siegal is bitching about federal taxes, which are taken out of profit, not gross proceeds.

GM Nameplate here in Seattle threatened to leave the state if Dino Rossi didn't win four years ago. And they are still here. So these threats are just signs of people with really small dicks.

When other people's businesses fail, it is because they were not clever enough, or did not work hard enough.

When your business fails, it was because the gubmint taxed you to death.

Got it.

"Even to this day, every dime I earn goes back into this company."

Oh, really? Then how do you afford your fancy house, if every dime you earn goes back into the company? Hmm, could it be, like many private businesses that your company subsidizes all of your expenses, including your home? Do you have a company debit card which you use for every little damn thing? In addition to a separate expense account, does the company pay for your car, insurance of all kinds, meals, dry cleaning, clothing allowance, etc. etc. etc.

I am aware of a lot of owners whose businesses pay all of their expenses and yet whine because the government taxes their small revenues. Gee, if your business didn't pay for your daily coffee at Starbucks and that golf vacation you took, then maybe there would be more profits. Oh, but then you would whine louder.

Once I found out about this little secret, I stopped having so much sympathy for owners. And this guy? he wants Mittbot in charge because The 'Bot is on his side. Yeah, they'll kick that black dude out of the White House and put "one of us" back, someone who'll make the great unwashed pay more so the 1% can have more layers of insulation against having to deal with "those people."

What an asshole.

@30 -- You know how our State got stuck with that crummy B&O tax, don't you? Goldy covered it here not long ago.

@30, I'm not familiar with Washington State taxes but I agree that taxing gross receipts is pretty dumb. I'm unsure how Obama's re-election would effect Washington State taxes.

This seems like pretty blatant voter intimidation. He essentially says "I know it would be illegal for me to threaten to fire you if you vote for Obama...but if Obama wins I'm going to fire you."

This man is either completely ignorant of how federal taxes work (taxed on profits not revenue) or he's a lying fuck. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's a lying fuck who's just counting on his employees being completely ignorant of how federal taxes work.

Wow. Just . . . wow. What a pig.

And from Sept 16, 2012, in response to the documentary.
"Not only is the company doing better today than in its 32-year history we have also hired back several thousand employees. In addition, the construction of Versailles has resumed."

Seems like Obama's policies have been working out for him and his lying sack of shit ways.

@38,

It was precious when, during the debate, Romney claimed that small business owners are paying 50 percent of their "income" in taxes. Is that 50 percent of what would be their compensation for running the joint? No, of course not. That would be 50 percent of their business revenue. He also included ALL taxes, including taxes we all pay like property and sales taxes.

@Root @RonK and others. I was just pointing out that taxes on business is not always just on profit as @quotemstr indicated. Believe me, I'm no fan of Romney. Just saying how f'd up the state B&O system is and how I get to pay the tax man regardless of profits.

Good god conservatives are such whiny little pussies. Grow up and show some of that fiscal responsibility you're always demanding of everyone else, you selfish fucking children.

Also I'm sick of people thinking that their business is their fucking playground. You don't get to browbeat your employees into voting your way. Just because they're "your" employees doesn't make them your property.

If you can't see (or can't accept) the difference between employment and slavery, then you're not cut out to be a businessman, and society will be better off in the long run if you shut your shitty company down in a pathetic little temper tantrum.

Business is supposed to be for competent entrepreneurs who want to make a profit while contributing something to society, not for spoiled, entitled brats with a god complex who want to vacuum up cash from their surroundings and shit all over everything in exchange. And I say the more policies we have in place that make the latter feel unwelcome in the business world, the better.

Why do you guys care? He is rich enough and has his rights, he is just stating his facts. There is always foodstamps for everybody.