The CEO Who Built Himself America’s Largest House Just Threatened to Fire His Employees if Obama�

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I do agree with you to some extent, but at the same time if the business isn't being taxed to the same degree it is then what would he do with his extra profits? How many people would he give raises to, to help make their lives easier? How much of that extra money would escape his pocket to be given to his employees? He'd probably build up that super house of his more and not give a dam dime to giving raises to his employees.

Personally I'm skeptical, Just because you own a business doesn't mean you should be paid vast sums more then you're employees. I agree you should be paid more in general since you are likely doing more work if you own the company but at the same time how much of that is difficult work? In any job I've been in the higher ups redistribute the work to their employees, often times tedious or physically difficult work. Which means ultimately the higher ups don't have to do that and are working on other things like building business relationships and balancing budgets. This is just my personal experience and I'm sure many jobs aren't like this, but moving on...

My only problem with CEO's in general isn't that they make a money or even that they make more money then their employees. My issue is how much more money they make then their employees. Some CEO's see such substantial profit margins and yet they don't often use those profits for the good of their own companies or to improve the lives of their employees, which they rely on to make those profits. This is especially troubling when often times employees may want to work somewhere else but because of the lack of jobs in general they have no choice but to keep whatever crappy pay they might be earning in the position they are in, while their boss is living high off the hog at their expense.

This guy isn't entirely wrong, but he's not entirely right either, and I feel like a lot of CEO's aren't even as accommodating as this guy sounds. Then again this guy could be full of sh!t too for all we know. No one really knows what this guys profit margins are or how he spends them. The only thing we have to go off of is his words in the letter.

Long story short, taxes are dumb, but employees should be paid more in general if those taxes don't exist.

Originally posted by NavyDoc

Originally posted by VaterOrlaag
reply to post by NavyDoc

 

I don't care.

You do not take jobs away from people just because you do not like those in office.

Instead of blaming the Democrats for everything from the beginning of time, these business owners should be concerned about staying afloat and ensuring that their employees have jobs.

Of course, there's plenty of small business owner-assholes out there that will get greedy, pissy and make such threats.

Besides, this story is a manufactured ruse. If it were real, my reaction would be the exact same.

edit on 10-10-2012 by VaterOrlaag because: (no reason given)

"I don't care." "Greedy" "Owner-assholes." Yep, that's the attitude that makes owning a business and employing people more and more difficult every year. They start a business, deal with increasing taxes, regulation, oversite, and red tape; provide jobs and get villified because they exist. Yeah, a lot of incentive there to keep struggling in the trenches.

The attitude above is why a lot of people, small, medium, and large business owners, are deciding it is not worth the hassle and throwing in the towel.

This particular story may be a hoax, but the underlying issues are still real, as demonstrated quite clearly in our exchange so far.

edit on 10-10-2012 by NavyDoc because: (no reason given)

Yes this guy is a ahole. He chooses to overlook the fact that his business has been growing under a Democrat and was failing under a Republican. I take that back he's not an ahole he's an idiot for wanting his employees to vote against what obviously his best interest.

Originally posted by buster2010

Originally posted by NavyDoc

Originally posted by VaterOrlaag
reply to post by NavyDoc

 

I don't care.

You do not take jobs away from people just because you do not like those in office.

Instead of blaming the Democrats for everything from the beginning of time, these business owners should be concerned about staying afloat and ensuring that their employees have jobs.

Of course, there's plenty of small business owner-assholes out there that will get greedy, pissy and make such threats.

Besides, this story is a manufactured ruse. If it were real, my reaction would be the exact same.

edit on 10-10-2012 by VaterOrlaag because: (no reason given)

"I don't care." "Greedy" "Owner-assholes." Yep, that's the attitude that makes owning a business and employing people more and more difficult every year. They start a business, deal with increasing taxes, regulation, oversite, and red tape; provide jobs and get villified because they exist. Yeah, a lot of incentive there to keep struggling in the trenches.

The attitude above is why a lot of people, small, medium, and large business owners, are deciding it is not worth the hassle and throwing in the towel.

This particular story may be a hoax, but the underlying issues are still real, as demonstrated quite clearly in our exchange so far.

edit on 10-10-2012 by NavyDoc because: (no reason given)

Yes this guy is a ahole. He chooses to overlook the fact that his business has been growing under a Democrat and was failing under a Republican. I take that back he's not an ahole he's an idiot for wanting his employees to vote against what obviously his best interest.

Since this is in snopes, the entire controversy may not even exist, but his business took a hit in 2007, but grew quite a bit before that under a Republican as well, so it is glib to say it tool a hit under a republican but growing under a democrat. Meh.

Originally posted by NavyDoc
Since this is in snopes, the entire controversy may not even exist, but his business took a hit in 2007, but grew quite a bit before that under a Republican as well, so it is glib to say it tool a hit under a republican but growing under a democrat. Meh.

But the fact still remains that his business is growing under that democrat, so what is he complaining about?

Originally posted by daskakik

Originally posted by NavyDoc
Since this is in snopes, the entire controversy may not even exist, but his business took a hit in 2007, but grew quite a bit before that under a Republican as well, so it is glib to say it tool a hit under a republican but growing under a democrat. Meh.

But the fact still remains that his business is growing under that democrat, so what is he complaining about?

I think the point of snopes is that he may not be complaining at all?

Originally posted by NavyDoc
I think the point of snopes is that he may not be complaining at all?

Snopes only acknowledges that he sent a modified version of the letter.

The content of the letter does state that 4 more years of the same administration threatens their jobs while at the same time he tells Reuters, that they are more profitable than ever.

It looks like he is lying in the letter to sway his employees votes. Could be just a power trip.

Snopes has it because the guy used a meme as a basis for a real position. He structured his letter upon one that had turned out to be a myth.

What does that say about the person? He turned yesterdays "shock value" propaganda into a reality, on purpose, and with intent.

My .02 cents? Free publicity... no such thing as bad press... Hey I need a reality show now that my wife had a documentary about her and I've got a mansion to finish building. Dollars to doughnuts, this jerk is on TLC next season.

Watch.

~Heff

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
The man has some good points. I didn't realize Westgate was 100% private and actually run by the guy who started the company. How unusual a thing to still see among the Corp world today. Everything seems to be shareholders and loyalty to the almighty dollar above, beyond and at the direct expense of everything else. Indeed...

Well, his business, his work to make it and his blood, sweat and tears to keep it going. He's also dead on accurate on something else. As the owner, whatever he makes, he EARNS. When I owned by own truck I grossed over $200,000 a year. Gross... Now my net income was closer to $35,000 and of that? Hell..I think I got to actually feel and handle 1/4 of that. For that? I can relate as I read his words.... No kidding. Company drivers got to the yard, parked the companies truck and went home. Owners went home and spent the whole time off at least partially in the truck..thinking of that weird noise from the last trip, or the fuel mileage being off...of an in-frame service needing done soon...

Hell, if he chooses to pull the plug, that's up to him too. He lived it for over 40 years. Such is life when the man who made the company is still standing as the man to un-make it, if he so desires.


Perhaps hunting the 1% that create jobs like it's a national sport IS NOT the best way to accomplish economic recover, but that's just me. Killing the very goose that produces the golden egg seems...short sighted in a terminal way.

While I can respect your opinion, this guy didn't didn't build anything ALL by himself. Without the workers, there would BE no business, and you can bet that his employee works as hard, if not harder than he does. I can't respect a man that would treat the very people that made him a success, like peons. I'm weird like that.

If this isn't illegal it should be. This is voter blackmail! Any employer who forces their employees to vote for a particular candidate by threatening their jobs, is undermining our freedom to vote foe who we choose.

This is a threat plain and simple. This is something they would do under a dictatorship rather than in a democracy. So if every employer decides to follow this egotistical and self centered rich piece of ----, this wouldn't be considered rigging an election or strong arming voters?

Anyone who thinks this isn't wrong, should spend some time in a country where dictators use strong armed tactics like this to keep them in power.

I doubt he is raking his employees over the coals by threatening to fire them if they vote for Obama, he is just saying he may not exist another four more years if Obama gets re-elected.
We already know about all the companies that are wanting to hire but can't because they are not sure what Obama has planned, with Obama out of the picture there may be enough jobs for everyone, even the welfare abusing leeches.

the propaganda is getting thicker by the day

anyone else see the fake "3.8% sales tax on homes old after 2012" story ?

it's really hard to know what to trust anymore

A friend and I were considering starting a business. It would have to be a business partnership with neither of us being "employees." We would have to outsource all facets of manufacturing and shipping in drop ship lots for materials and have sub assemblies pre made for the equipment so that between us we could handle the final product assembly with no other help.
Unfortunately it leaves an impossibly slim margin.

Why?

We couldn't afford employees under the new health care mandates and still start the business. In reality, the present structure is almost too restrictive as it is. The new stuff really puts employees out of reach for fledgling start ups.

It's not looking good for the American dream.

I may have to run an abbreviated business on my own and still work full time just to get started.

Originally posted by Alxandro
I doubt he is raking his employees over the coals by threatening to fire them if they vote for Obama, he is just saying he may not exist another four more years if Obama gets re-elected.
We already know about all the companies that are wanting to hire but can't because they are not sure what Obama has planned, with Obama out of the picture there may be enough jobs for everyone, even the welfare abusing leeches.

Even if Romney gets elected, people won't be SURE about anything Romney has planned. Hell, Romney doesn't even know. I can't believe that people think if Romney wins, America is back on track. That logic is preposterous at best.''With Obama out of the picture, there may be enough jobs for everyone''. Really? And how in the hell is Magic Mitt supposed to produce these jobs? Pull them out of his tight a$$?? I don't care for either of them, they're two sides of the same coin. Romney is going to do exactly as he's told, just like O. Anyone not realizing that the POTUS is just a figurehead, are delusional. The Hidden Hand runs the show.

reply to post by poloblack


The way I see it, you have every right to say "I told you so" just as I've been doing the last almost four years, and frankly, I'm getting tired.

Next?

Originally posted by Alxandro
reply to post by poloblack

 

The way I see it, you have every right to say "I told you so" just as I've been doing the last almost four years, and frankly, I'm getting tired.

Next?

I was never on the O wagon, and I knew from the gate that he couldn't and wouldn't change sh!t, so don't assume because I'm a black guy, ''that's my boy''. Negative, my friend. And I'm not one to say ''I told you so''. That's a little too juvie for my taste.

This guy is a complete tool.

But he's really good at Republican scare tactics.
I love how he conveys the message that under Obama, despite being able to grow his business these past 4 years, our economy will suddenly tank and everyone will lose their jobs.

That's the propaganda that trying to be conveyed with this memo.
Vote Obama = lose your job

This was not meant for just his company. This was meant to go mainstream to push that propaganda scare point.

It's ironic. When his company was losing money under a Republican, did he threaten to lay people off? Did he tell them that if they voted for a Republican again he would have to lay people off because he couldn't maintain his losses?

No, I didn't think so.
Like I said, complete Republican elitist tool.

reply to post by poloblack


I did not know you are black, shouldnt really matter.
You do know you are now considered a sell out for not supporting Obama?

Originally posted by Alxandro
reply to post by poloblack

 

I did not know you are black, shouldnt really matter.
You do know you are now considered a sell out for not supporting Obama?

Its OK, Im White, and Romney disgust me.

I guess in your GOP Logic, that makes me a sellout.

Originally posted by Alxandro
reply to post by poloblack

 

I did not know you are black, shouldnt really matter.
You do know you are now considered a sell out for not supporting Obama?

The true sellouts are people supporting a candidate and/or POTUS, simply because they share the same hue of skin. People can consider me what they may. And if I took part of your post out of context, my apologies. But if I didn't, well, you know.

I'm just shocked.... The thread started with this CEO using some pretty blatant coercion, then went to claims that he was making threats and then on.to threatening to fire them directly. He treats them like trash? Whats next? Claims he's going to throw them out windows and hold them prisoner on voting day??

Umm. Okay, so we DO all agree Soros is one evil bastard right? I mean he's got enough money to buy a few of this guy and is about as political as it's humanly possible to get. He's also one of THE most ruthless business people by reputation that exists.

You know..BOTH these men . Soros the SUPER-Billionaire and this CEO who is a lowly billionaire by the sound of it, are within the law and aren't violating anyone. When did it become a crime or somehow unacceptable for a man in ANY position to voice their opinion?? Now he thinks THIS President will be BAD in the coming years. I say he's absolutely right and the bad hasn't even STARTED yet...but check a Calendar. It starts in a couple months and the Hospitality industry damn sure won't be spared one little bit. LOTS of Government travel...lots of CUTS that come automatically by design of a greedy, shortsighted Congress in 2011. Here is a taste...


Source

Jan 1 is dead serious and it's coming like a runaway train. No kidding neither side wants to talk much about it...BOTH sides worked together in 2011 to form the agreement that makes this catastrophe happen.

Look at the LEFT side of that little graphic.

They were both positive..absolutely SURE..they would make a deal in time. Well, they tried...over and over..and they failed..and now we're screwed.

Maybe..it's little things like that, this CEO sees and like so many of us...seeing this done to his America as much as it is any of ours, just pisses him off too. He wouldn't be the ONLY executive type feeling real strong that way right now.