David Miscavige: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

There was an interesting post today about how David Miscavige spends parishioner money. And I’ve read and heard other accounts of how he lives.

Let’s put this in context. Here we have most Scientologists scraping and scrimping to get every possible bit of money to the Church. Some people have taken out second or third mortgages. Some have raided their retirement savings, or their inheritances. They’ve gone without that vacation or that new car to contribute every penny they can.

Then, too, we have thousands of Sea Org Members, working for less than $50 a week, with no retirement savings, no possessions, living in communal dormitories and eating cafeteria food.

And then we have hundreds of RPF Members, working seven days a week, year after year, for about $12.00 a week, living in packed dormitories with 30 or 40 other people.

All right, given that context, let’s see how David Miscavige lives.

First, he pays himself a six-figure salary. And that’s without having to pay for housing, food, clothing, or transportation. That’s about forty times what the average Sea Org Member is paid. Over the last 25 years or so, he’s paid himself something like three million dollars.

He wears $5,000 tailored suits, $500 Egyptian cotton shirts, the finest Italian leather shoes. The average Sea Org Member gets his or her uniform supplied, if they are lucky. If they want any other clothing, say something nice to wear on that rare day off, they have to buy it themselves. And if they want underwear, socks, toiletries, any other personal items, they have to buy those things themselves too. Out of their 40 cents an hour.

If he needs to fly somewhere, Miscavige routinely takes a private jet. I guess a commercial flight is beneath him. Apparently millions have been spent to fly Miscavige and his personal staff around the world in the last ten years. If a Sea Org Member has to go somewhere on business, it’s the cheapest flight possible. And if they have to go somewhere for personal reasons, say a family emergency, they (or their family) have to pay.

And for Miscavige’s personal ground transportation? No expense spared. A $50,000 Acura RL for the Int Base. A $25,000 Mazda Miata. An $80,000 Range Rover. A $150,000 bulletproof GMC Van. A $25,000 custom-made motorcycle. A $110,000 BMW M6 bought for him by ASI staff for his birthday. Another $45,000 Acura to use then he’s in Clearwater. Most Sea Org Members don’t own a car, and if they do, it’s an old clunker they can’t afford the insurance on.

Food? A personal chef who travels with him. Haircut? A personal stylist who travels with him. Laundry? Cleaning? Done by personal staff, who are paid 40 cents an hour.

And if he wants to throw a birthday party to impress his friend Tom Cruise? No problem.  Dave threw Tom a $250,000 party aboard Freewinds in 2004, and another $250,000 party in 2005. And the food, décor, music and entertainment were all put together by Sea Org Members, paid $50 a week.

Dave needs a place to stay in LA when he’s in town? No problem, purchase a $4,600,000.00 apartment complex.

Miscavige takes lavish personal vacations – including many Caribbean diving trips and a five star tour of Scotland (including cases of sampled Scotch being shipped to Miscavige’s residence afterward).

Once Dave did an event a Celebrity Centre. He was sweating like a pig – it was an outdoor event in LA in August, so not too surprising. He hired an outside video special effects firm to erase the sweat sheen, frame by frame, at a cost of $150,000. Oh, and of course his make-up person (a Sea Org member paid 40 cents an hour) was RPFed for “sabotage.”

This is the world of David Miscavige. A world where he can spend any amount, buy anything he wants, all with millions of parishioner money. Your money. And lord it over the lowly Sea Org Members who surround him.

So now how do you feel about all those sacrifices you had to make to get as much money as you could to the Church?

And if you’re thinking, “Well, he’s worth it, isn’t he? After all, he’s booming Scientology,” then you missed a few earlier posts, like this one and this one.