Attached is my letter to Senators Durbin and Kirk, and to Rep. Johnson.
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\pard\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\ql\qnatural\pardirnatural\f0\fs24 \cf0 On December 29, the News Gazette printed a photograph of a technician working on a Caterpillar marine engine near Kiel, Germany. The Article states that Caterpillar is building three new factories in China to design and build equipment.\ \ Why are these jobs not being offered to workers in Illinois?\ \ The article suggests that "top talent" is available overseas, and that education in the USA is falling in most global rankings. U.S. students rank in the range of 20th to 30th in math and science.\ \ Why do U.S. students spend so much time learning common fractions such as eighths and sixteenths rather than decimal fractions as is our currency and metric units of measurement?\ \ Please consider the enclosed article: "Metric Measurement in the 21st Century."\ I request that you vigorously support more complete transition to the metric system of measurement in US education, trade, and commerce. Medical practice, nutrition, pharmacy, and the automotive industry already use mostly metric units of measurement. The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act requires amendment to *permit* metric-only labels on both domestic and imported products. \ }
