The Queen of Mean

Ding dong the witch is dead...which old witch? The Queen of Mean, the one and only Leona Helmsley.

She is most famous for going to prison for tax evasion in the late 80's. Her case unraveled when a housekeeper testified she heard Helmsley say "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." She soon became one of the little people.

Can you imagine what a wealthy, mean old ugly bitch must have been like to have around? Supposedly at one time, she was glamorous, fun and lively. She and her husband Harry were supposedly much in love and enjoyed showering each other with extravagant gifts and tributes. As she aged, and Harry became incapacitated, she became more tight fisted and controlling. The trial and conviction for tax fraud destroyed what little levity she had left.

She was notorious for treating workers and employees like shit. In one famous incident, she ordered a sales clerk to rewrite a bill to save $4 in sales tax, "That's how the rich get richer", she replied. Her supporters contended that the government came after her to make an example of someone with high visibility. With her mouth and temper, she was an easy target. People lined up to nail her coffin. After her release, she was ordered to do some community service. That was extended because she ordered employees to do some of it for her. The Queen of Mean was notoriously homophobic in a business (hotels) with a large number of gay employees.

As it is always with the filthy rich, nothing touched her, nothing stopped her, she always got what she wanted. I can just see her, throwing something at the devil, DO IT NOW! Maybe Satan has met his match!