At 07:07 PM, 8 October 2002 +0100, Stephen Davis wrote: >I was referring to Neil Herron's oft-repeated quote that the new laws are >against his 'freedom of choice'. >... >As Mr Herron knows full well, as regards weights and measures legislation >in the UK, there has never been freedom of choice!! Traders have always >had to stick by weights and measures law or risk prosecution whether those >units are metric or imperial. >.... >On your second point, if I have understood you correctly, Steve Thoburn, >who was prosecuted (Neil Herron wasn't) for using imperial-only scales, >did indeed have dual-purpose scales on his premises. He could have used >these, weighed in metric and afterwards displayed the amount in imperial; >in short, everybody, the DTI, Steve Thoburn and his customers would have >been happy. >... >I do not understand your argument, Jim. The customer is getting exactly >what they want, Mr Thoburn can display prices in pounds and ounces if he >wishes and his customers can ask for something in pounds and ounces!! >... >It's simply splitting hairs for political purposes, isn't it??
First, I have confused Herron and Thoburn and the facts of their respective situations. My apologies for that. Yes, this is a political issue far more than a metric one, although I think what you call "splitting hairs" is an important philosophical point. Here is how I see the overall issue: what right does the government have to tell someone how to run his business, as long as that person is doing so in a non-fraudulent, non-coercive manner? My answer: they have no business at all doing such a thing. "Government" is nothing but the collective will of the masses. How is government forcing you to use a particular type of scale different (philosophically) from a bunch of your neighbors forcing you to paint your house blue because that is the color they prefer to see? I acknowledge, of course, that these cases are in England, and the English people are free to run their country as they choose. The arguments, however, will be equally applicable should such laws come to exist in the USA. I'll quote Thomas Jefferson to close: "A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." Jim Elwell, CAMS Electrical Engineer Industrial manufacturing manager Salt Lake City, Utah, USA www.qsicorp.com
