Westgate

The following was emailed by David Siegel, owner of Westgate Resorts, to 7,000 employees.

“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.”

To keep this from sounding worse than it is, let’s give Mr. Siegal the wiggle room to which he is entitled. He didn’t say he was going to fire people if Obama is reelected, only if new taxes are levied on him or his company. Of course letting the upper end of the Bush tax cuts expire does qualify as a new tax on him.

This isn’t quite “vote for Romney or else.” But it certainly could be taken as such by any of the 7,000 recipients of these missives. I suspect there might be legal ramifications and if so I hope they’re pursued. But my first thought is of the effect on the employees. Their votes may be confidential. But after receiving this message they’ll probably be very careful of what they say around the water cooler. You never know who’s listening. Some true believers won’t have to change a hair. But what of those of any political persuasion who simply don’t like this heavy handed way of dealing with their right to vote? They can’t even complain about this for the same reason. Given the tone of the message we can rule out paranoia. I’m not making a prediction here, just mentioning what has to be happening now.

In ways this approach verges on McCarthyism and in some ways is even worse. Then it had a lot to do with who belonged to various suspect groups. What’s involved now is  literally and directly freedom of speech! Many of the victims then were show business people of greater financial means than the people who make the beds in these resorts. The prosecutors then at least claimed, with varying degrees of inaccuracy, to be working in the national interest. Mr. Siegal is by his own words acting in his own interest.

This is happening during the administration of a Democratic president whose party holds a majority in one House of Congress. Imagine having a president for whose election these tactics have been used with a Congress controlled by his party. Of course there’s always the Supreme Court.

Getting back to Mr. Siegel, here’s a question I’d like to put to him. If his top personal tax rate rises from 35% to 39% he says he’ll reduce the size of his business. This business provides him personal income, therefore by reducing it this income would be even less than it would have been even after the tax increase.. It doesn’t sound all that bad, at least not to me. He’s an extremely wealthy man who owns “Versailles,” the biggest new house in the nation. I wouldn’t blame him for easing up a little at his age. Would he be satisfied getting by with a little less? Not bloody likely!