2003-03-15 Canada and Mexico, being a part of NAFTA are pretty much stuck with FFU due to the greater influence on the US on them then the other way around. Canada and Mexico's dependence on the US is really unhealthy for both countries. It is the proverbial putting all or most of one's eggs in one basket.
To a lesser extent the rest of the world is also dependant on the US to some degree. This is the side effect of dollar hegemony. Countries hold most of their reserves in dollars and need dollars to pay for oil and other commodities. This trap puts most countries in a position not to criticise the US for not using SI and for the US attempting to "flood" the world with FFU products, or demanding FFU products that are to be imported into the US. As a result, we see Chinese products in FFU being sold in Europe. The end of dollar hegemony will end the US practice of polluting the world with FFU. Consumers and businesses in many countries will become less dependant on the US when the need for dollars subsides. Then and only then will the US be forced to play by the same rules others play by. Canada and Mexico will do more business with other countries then just the US when they need to accumulate other currencies in order to do business. This will increase trade and prosperity world-wide and end the artificial unbalance of wealth accumulation that has resulted from dollarisation alone. As long as dollar hegemony exists, there is no reason for the US to adopt SI and no reason for the world to make an issue of the US's continued use of FFU. Thus, increased euroisation must be seen as a positive step to end the status quo in the US and elsewhere in regards to metrication. "euroisation = metrication" MUST be our battle cry. In order to be a metric supporter, you must also be a supporter of a more balanced use of the dollar and the euro in world trade and policies. In the future more regional currencies having equal weight to the dollar and euro will create an even more balance of resources and power and assure that the standard units used in trade, education, speech, etc., world-wide is SI and only SI. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen C. Gallagher" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, 2003-03-14 07:55 Subject: [USMA:25135] RE: Some interesting conversations > > Carl Sorenson wrote: "I can't wait to see some metric-only labels at the > > grocery store!" > > > > I was in Vancouver from late Saturday to early Tuesday. In at least one > > store (a huge delicatessen on Burrard Street, near Robson Street [the > > toniest part of town]), I noted that all produce was marked in price per > > pound, with the SI equivalent in smaller characters. Even more > disappointing > > than the last time I was there (last July). > > It's very common in Canada to see produce advertised > with the ifp in large text and the SI much smaller characters. > > > The idiocy of Brian Mulroney (former, very-short-term, Canadian Prime > > Minister) in rolling back the regulations, combined with US influence, has > > not helped Canada's metric health. > > I'm not a lover of Brian Mulroney, but keep in mind that he > and his Progressive Conservative Party have been out > of power for a long time, and the subsequent Liberal governments > haven't done anything to reverse the metrication that Mulroney > stopped. > > > At least metric distances survived (how else could it be, with the traffic > > signs and all vehicles already converted?), along with Celsius > temperatures. > > The rest of weather reporting is also fully metricated with snow forcasts > given in cm, rain in mm, and atmospheric pressure in kPa. Quite > a few delis price and sell their meats in $/100 g. The butcher that I > use prices his meats solely in $/kg, which is one of the reasons I > use him. > > > However, supermarket labeling is vastly inferior to that in Britain, even > > though Britain's conversion started much later. > > Probablybecause Britain isn't sitting right next door to the > largest non-metric country in the world. True, I wish Canada > would metricate more, but until it gains momentum in the US, > I don't see it happening. > > Stephen Gallagher >
