Cut federal employee travel

Hey, Mr. President, you put a moratorium on drilling and as a byproduct killed thousands of jobs. Here's a suggestion -- put a moratorium on government-sponsored conferences. Maybe that will shrink government a little by getting rid of the party planner jobs. Must we the taxpayers pay for more partying by our long-suffering government employees? I guess they haven't heard of conference calls or memos. These are novel ideas to get information to employees. You really do not have to fly government employees to Las Vegas in order to update them on some new legislation or whatever these conferences talk about. Considering the financial status of this country, maybe they should cut back on travel and entertainment.

We have got to shrink our federal government. It is obviously too big and out of control. We need to start taking responsibilities away from our federal government and giving them back to state governments. At least then we can go to our state capitals and complain. I cannot even get my representatives to answer the phone in D.C. Let's go back to the days when Washington, D.C., was as inconsequential as possible and keep our tax money in our states. Then we the people can keep a better watch over it.

LINDA REUTZEL, Cape Girardeau