Mrs. Helmsley, a great businesswoman who helped create and manage extraordinary New York City hotels, has died at 87.
She is best known as a victim of the state. When she and her sick husband were charged with tax evasion in 1989, she was smeared by the NYC gutter press.
She was attacked for being a tough boss who put the customer first (“the queen of mean”). I can tell you that none of her hotels has been the same since this lady was sent to federal prison by the criminal prosecutors.
One of the most useful levers in attacking her was the false claim by a disgrunted employee that Mrs. Helmsley said she didn’t pay taxes, only the “little people” did. At this point, she and her husband had paid more than $60 million to the feds.
So the socialist AP sends her off with an attack obituary. In truth, she benefitted many thousands of customers, suppliers, and employees. That’s why she was successful. May she rest in peace.
2:47 pm on August 20, 2007
