Dear Abby:
	Now that some of the smoke has cleared from the last reorganization,
I have a few thoughts about it that I would like to get some feedback on.
	To start off, I must confess that business and economics was not one
of my strong points in college so I may be totally off base here, but I'm
wondering if it would have been possible to come right out and tell everyone
that there were going to be some layoffs of XX% and the reason for them was 
blah blah blah, and give out the information that was presented on tuesday
to the remaining Atarians to everyone before the layoffs happened.  The
way rumors were floating around all week, everyone knew it was going to happen
so why couldn't we be told why it had to happen before the ax fell?  Was some
of the information company confidential so that soon to be x-Atarians couldn't
know them?  If that was the case then that sensitive information could have
been left out, but is knowing how much it costs Atari to stay in business
and how much the company profits are projected to be and the fact that our
expenses are higher that our revenues, is knowing any of these things
detrimental to the company?
	I was told there was a meeting for all the people that were laid off
on friday morning. If there was, I obviously didn't hear what was said, but
couldn't everyone been given that information on monday or when ever it was
decided that the layoff had to happen instead of letting the rumors start?
	I was also told that on the day before the layoffs there were some 
security problems (I assume that means that some equipment had grown legs and 
was walking out of the building). Could some of this been avoided if people 
knew why the layoff had to happen?  It seems real easy to take being laid off 
very personally, i.e. the company doesn't like me, the company doesn't 
appreciate me, the company doesn't think I'm competent, and what follows is 
people getting angry and wanting revenge, i.e. well I don't deserve being 
treated this way so I'm gonna do something just to get even because if they 
can screw me then I can screw them.  But after seeing the way the numbers add 
up, or should I say don't add up, it's obvious that it was a business move and 
not a personal attack.
	I hope this doesn't sound like I think I could have handled it better
and come next election vote for me because I'll put a terminal in every office,
legalize marijuana and build a swimming pool & softball field in the back forty
because I wouldn't take the job if they paid me. I just want to know if stuff 
like this only happens when the planets line up and the tooth fairy gets a 
fortune cookie that reads "you will meet someone as gay as you are" or can it 
happen in the real world or why it wouldn't work in fairy land or here or the 
real world or what thoughts you have about anything that would help me 
understand this crazy business of paying people to make stuff and then trying 
to sell the same stuff to someone else for more than what it cost to make.

					Naive Natconian