For now, the tax-funded party is over for federal employees accustomed to living it up at lavish locations while pretending to hone their job skills.

This practice has been common for years, but cash-strapped taxpayers exploded recently when video surfaced showing hundreds of Social Security Administration employees doing the Macarena and swilling Mai Tais at a plush Arizona resort while allegedly studying Social Security issues.

Taxpayers hollered loud enough that Washington bean counters decided to put a lid on living large. They didn't disallow bureaucratic "business" meetings altogether, but pretty much outlawed getting together in places known for fun and frolic.

Horrified bureaucrats may soon be forced to gather in such "dull" spots as St. Louis, Milwaukee or Denver. The president's hometown of Chicago is allowed, too.

Recently, a proposal by a Las Vegas hotel to host an FBI conference was met by a polite refusal. Why? An FBI e-mail leaked to the Wall Street Journal said, "The Department of Justice decided conferences are not to be held in cities that are vacation destinations/spa/resort/ gambling. Las Vegas and Orlando are the first 2 on the chopping block."

Asked to respond to the e-mail, a Department of Justice spokeswoman said, "We do have guidance that says avoid locations and accommodations that give the appearance of being lavish or are resort destinations."

Sounds like bad news for Washington's permanent tax-and-party bureaucracy. One Department of Agriculture employee compared meeting at low-rent destinations to waterboarding.

He said, "Do you want to take everyone to Fargo in the middle of winter? Just because they're federal employees you don't need to mistreat them."

No, you don't. But the new policy doesn't have to result in mistreatment. Just because bureaucrats can't waste money at expensive resorts doesn't mean they can't have fun elsewhere.

There are lots of swell places bureaucrats could meet and work and have a ball. They just don't get as much attention as Las Vegas or Orlando or Honolulu.

For instance, fish and wildlife lovers at the Department of the Interior would blow a gasket watching the live "mermaid" shows that have thrilled audiences for years in Weeki Wachee, Florida. This is an attraction no American should miss. And rates are always cheap.

Department of Agricultural officials should jump at the chance to spend some quality time near the boll weevil statue in downtown Enterprise, Alabama. Most towns don't honor insects, but Enterprise residents decided the boll weevil deserved to be recognized for killing the cotton crop (for good) and making local farmers switch to peanuts.

Peanuts are now big business for the people of southeast Alabama's "Wiregrass" region. Big enough that if agricultural officials visited the boll weevil statue between October 30 and November 8, 2009, they could dash over to nearby Dothan, Alabama, for the National Peanut Festival, which comes complete with a beauty pageant, a parade and concerts.

Sand- and sun-worshipping federal workers should love a weekend in Gila Bend, Arizona, which has plenty of both. It's like a beach without all that expensive, dangerous water. Rooms are cheap and you don't have to worry about hurricanes.

Speaking of which, ever since Hurricane Katrina, the federal government has been renting acres of space to house tens of thousands of FEMA trailers that were never used by storm refugees. Why not put them to good use?

If they were good enough for Katrina refugees, surely they're fit to house federal employees attending taxpayerfunded "work" sessions.

Hauling them around to meetings would be costly, but those babies could be parked permanently on the sprawling grounds of one of America's party capitals. There's one that has plenty of trailer space available. Best of all, the Talladega Superspeedway is only full two weekends a year.

(send your e-mail comments to: alex@ newnan.com)