Dear Robert, Well done! I wish you every success.
Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia -- on 11/1/04 10:12 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > 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. > ------------------------------------------------ > > 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. > -------------------------------------------- > 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. > ----------------------------------- > > 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] >
