Yikes! More Layoffs

Not sure where things are headed at my former place of employment but I heard that the entire centralized art department was laid off yesterday, and another non-magazine department is up for sale and faces layoff if no buyer comes through. These folks really amazingly talented graphic designers, some of whom have been with the company 15-20 years. It's all a bit confusing, as there was no shortage of work for the art department (just as there was no shortage of work for me), but I guess it's a big housecleaning free-for-all. It's just funny because in a few years they'll decide they'd rather have a pool of artists they can use instead of paying agencies and freelancers and they'll create a new central department. It sucks to be viewed as a cost in corporate America, but that's how the suits see editors, reporters and artists--for that matter, it's how they see software developers, too. Wait a minute, it's how they see everyone except executives, sales and marketing! Peter Drucker wrote about this, the great rift that was forming between management and professional ranks and how it was going to blow up in management's faces eventually. I know, I know, I'm ranting. Back to songwriting.