Do Latter-day Saints Still Need the General Conference?

In a moment of welcome levity in today's General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Jeffrey Holland shared a letter from a child who leveled a criticism -- and raised a question. "Dear Bishop," the crayon-penned letter read, "general confrins was boring why do we half to do it? tell me why." The audience laughed, and so did Elder Holland. So did I, for that matter. But by the end of the first four of the ten hours I'll spend watching Conference this weekend, I had the same question.