2004 January 10
Copy to USMA
2003 Dec 26
Rick Blauvelt
Platform Committee
Boulder County Democrats
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The US needs to change to using metric units,
the International System of Units (SI).
Politicians need to promote this change.
Metric units should be in the platform as a long-term goal with
some short-term goals listed for action soon.
The national platform should say:
1. Amend the FPLA (Fair Packaging and Labeling Act) to allow
metric-only labels. (Short-term goal.)
2. Restore the limit date for highway construction to be metric.
This was removed in TEA-21. Federal law still says highways
must be metric but there is no date to comply. (Short-term)
3. Complete the conversion called for by the Metric Conversion Act of 1975
as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.
4. Have the federal government comply with Executive Order 12770 (1991).
5. Call for the US to remove its exceptions to the rules of ICAO
(International Civil Aviation Organization) on the use of metric units.
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The Boulder County platform should say:
In addition to the national items above, Boulder Democrats should say:
Schools should stop teaching things related to inch-pound units;
1. Follow NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics)
policy, make metric primary (short-term),
2. stop teaching conversion (short-term),
3. stop teaching fractions in grades 1 through 6,
4. stop teaching inch-pound units.
5. remove state requirements that inch-pound units be in tests,
graduation requirements and GED tests.
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The national Democratic Party (DNC) needs to promote this change.
The Colorado Democratic Party needs to promote this change.
Boulder County Democrats need to promote this change.
Why?
1. Because the world uses metric units. We in the US are left out,
to our financial and commercial disadvantage.
2. Because metric units are simple, coherent, and decimal.
3. Because we damage students by teaching two sets of units of measure.
We leave many students out of our technical, scientific culture by
the confusion of two sets of numbers. Because schools feel that
they can not by themselves change, they need political help.
4. Because, by using inch-pound units, we make the world hard to understand.
We promote the two cultures of C. P. Snow.
Two examples:
1. How much does a gallon of water weigh?
How much does a litre of water weigh?
2. Can E = mc^2 be done in inch-pound units?
5. Because we damage our trade with Canada and Mexico.
6. Because we waste big money by still using inch-pound units.
US schools waste $4 billion each year teaching inch-pound units.
BVSD wastes $2 million each year teaching inch-pound units.
Machine shops have trouble making parts because most parts in
the world are metric.
Mechanics need two sets of wrenches and scales.
Industry has to convert numbers between metric and inch-pound.
$125 million was lost when the Mars Climate orbiter was lost at Mars
because the builder used pounds for thrust.
7. Because of many mix-ups and confusions of units.
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I hope the platform committee can consider these matters.
Robert H. Bushnell
Boulder, Colorado
ASTM Committee E43 on SI Practice
US Metric Association
303-554-0827
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
