No, you can't get NFL games on it

To the editor:

I hope this will put an end to the dueling letters and guest columns on this issue, but I find it necessary to respond to Rebecca McDowell Cook's March 2 letter concerning the installation of an audio-visual system in a Capitol committee room. I invite Cook to call me if she has any more questions.

First, this is a great example of the old saying "You can't believe everything you read." Cook refers to a Feb. 13 article in the Kansas City Star, which was an Associated Press story written by a new reporter that was factually incorrect and which I should have corrected at the time. The item in question is a computer screen, not a television. You can't turn it on and get ESPN. You cannot get NFL games or anything else from either cable or broadcast television on the 61-inch computer screen. However, 150 people in a crowded room can now see a PowerPoint presentation.

All the money the legislature spends ultimately comes from some taxpayer. Taxpayers must decide whether their money is being spent responsibly. The Missouri Senate has reduced its budget by over 15 percent and its staff by over 17 percent during the past two years while improving the services we provide. I would invite Cook or any other taxpayer to compare this performance with any other state agency or with her own record as secretary of state.

MICHAEL KEATHLEY

Administrator

Missouri Senate

Jefferson City, Mo.