John (kilopascal), I agree with Mike Joy that USMA:24349 was a nice piece of writing. Well put!
I wouldn't say the same about your ideas about the euro and economics, though. You wrote in USMA:24376, >It seems that North Korea in an attempt get revenge against >the US has converted all of its US dollar deposits to euros. >If more countries at odds with the US do the same, it will >destabilise the dollar on the world market and further hurt >the US economy at home. >... >Again, it is a strong euro, and a stabile EU that will have >the power force metrication on the US. You wrote in USMA:24266, >Maybe when the whole country is in the poor house, we can burn >such books and reviews to provide heat to keep warm. At least >then there will be a practical use for them. Carleton wrote in USMA:24234, >No wonder nothing gets done in the USA. I can hardly see how the most backward country on earth (North Korea) is a trend-setter for international economic policy. Why would other countries want to mimic their system? It is on life support! I agree with Jim that it is too simplistic to simply assume that a strong euro is good for metrication or that it somehow is a signal of America's impeding doom. It seems like you keep making dire predictions about our economy and country, but there is a *lot* more to economic success than what measurement system someone uses. I read this in the New York Times a few days ago: "Germany and its European neighbors have also proved unable to adapt to changing economic circumstances as quickly as companies and consumer in the United States." In light of this, I don't see the justification of Carleton's statement "No wonder nothing gets done in the USA." It seems that more is getting done here than in most metric countries. An article in Barron's in December said, "Unfortunately for their cause, metrificators [sic] are exaggerating the ease of the task and its benefits." It's true! I don't give quantitative estimates of savings from metrication; I just say that it is important (and give reasons) and that it will simplify things a lot. And I certainly don't prophesy doom to America for being too slow. Making unrealistic or simplistic statements and predictions hurts credibility. Bad-mouthing the U.S. certainly won't bring people to our side. Neither will overbearance or insistence on weird thinks like k$ and Mg. Here is a parable I read that I think applies very well to our efforts to convince people to change their mindsets and measurement choices: "The wind and the sun decided to make a man remove his coat. The wind blew harder and harder but the man held his coat tighter and tighter. The wind failed. The sun gently smiled and warmed the passerby with his sunbeams. The man removed his coat." Carl
