--- Jim Elwell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ... > It must be MIGHTY depressing to feel you have so > little control over life, and that only the > government or the "collective" can make any > change!!!!! > NO, what makes me 'mighty depress(ed)' is the sheer stupid stubborn by people who continue to want to push THEIR trash onto US from the outside really!!!!!!
As for the issue of governments getting involved, again, I repeat for the *n-th* time, there is *absolutely NO proof WHATSOEVER* that YOUR (in the US) approach works! What we *actually* have is quite the opposite! And I find it quite intriguing that you STILL insist on believing otherwise with SO MUCH PROOF of metrication success WHEN IT WAS *GOVERNMENTS* which took the initiative to make it happen!!! In other words: Metrication success: 100% when governments got involved in making it happen (and I don't really care what approach any of these took to make it happen, boards, forced legislation, etc). Metrication failure: Nearly 100% when governments chickened out (and NO, sporadic instances of metrication here and there are NO proof of success! Why? Again, let this process *GET NOTICED BY IFP GOONS/PUBLIC/STRONG ANTI-METRIC LOBBYISTS* and just watch what happens (proof: DOT fiasco!)). > Being the Libertarian, Free-Market, Laissez Faire, > Capitalist Pig that I am, I know that most societal > change comes from the action of private individuals, > individually and combined into organizations such as > companies, corporations, non-profits, universities, > research organizations, lobbying groups, etc. > True, but mostly partially. Besides, BTW, interesting you put that 'lobbying group' as part of YOUR OWN list! Which goes to show even yourself appear to agree there IS need for 'lobbying' for things to happen! I consider that good progress, Jim! :-) > Heck, Marcus, I metricated my company and didn't > need any "collective" will to do so (I didn't even > ask for Board approval -- it made sense so I did > it). What position do you have in your company again, Jim? Err... Last I saw you were the *PRESIDENT* weren't you??? Hmm... must say something... ;-) When the right people are in the right position (of power, that is), of course things can be made to happen. Heck, I wish I was the President of the United States of the Bush caliber (pig-headed, etc, etc...). You just watch what would happen!!! *Leadership*, man, without it, indeed here we both agree, NOTHING happens! > So have Ford, Chrysler, GM. So have most > electronics component manufacturers. Yes, and/but do you know why, Jim? One of the MAIN STRONGEST reasons was the *power* that metric businesses and stakeholders exercised on them to do so! Fortunately here they could and did! On the other hand a word I received from a colleague who is a big shot at the Ford organization tells me the American establishment STILL thinks *pretty much* in ifp all across the board. They continue insisting on designing *THINKING IFP*, heck, how much more idiotic can one still be??? :-( Proof? Just look at guarantee and test specs and whatnot, to name ONE example!!! > ... Even the US military did it without > Congressional mandate. Again, Jim, please, please consult the reasons behind these things FIRST, man! NATO partners, sir! THEY were the ones who pressured their US partner(s) to do so, and EVEN THEN one still sees the US NAVY **hasn't** largely joined in yet! (You don't believe me? Fine, ask your commanders in that branch of your armed forces for a reality check!) And I'm SURE they did so VERY RELUCTANTLY! And this is another thing that makes me furious! That ONLY when they're pressured to do so they go ahead, grumbling, complaining, fuming and all, etc. Or do you honestly believe they were "happy in obliging"??? If you do, you're so naive, man! Aside from the few 'brothers in arms' here I'm YET to find a bunch of Americans who are even sympathetic to metric. Therefore I have no choice but to concur with what Euric said here in another post. It confirms my suspicions, that the US is STILL of a very imperialistic mind when it comes to things like this. Call it indeed inferiority complex or something, heck, I don't know what else to say... > When enough of this has > happened, the government will fall in line. > Sigh... It's really baffling and amazing to me, Jim, to see such an elightened individual such as yourself insisting on "wanting to reinvent the whell"! All perhaps because you take your libertarian views and mindset over the weight of the evidence! Also startling that 'nah, in the US we do it OUR way', blah, blah, blah... Sigh... What can I say, man? Can't you guys at least be humble enough to admit that when it comes to certain things others have a PROVEN-TRIED-TESTED-AND-TRUE *better/faster/more effective way*??? > I simply give up with you Marcus. You clearly > believe that without the US Federal Government > mandating metrication, this country will never > metricate. Jim, ONLY when the rest of the world starts realizing THEY have to PUT A HUGE STICK ON YOUR NECK will you "get it"! And EVEN THEN there is no assurance since these players are so stubborn... However, you still haven't proven me wrong on the weight of the evidence aspect of things (e.g. DOT fiasco). There, yes, this MIGHT be the only way to get things done there. I can only imagine when 2009 comes and you fail in securing other 'free market agreements' (where you can *IMPOSE* your will on others!) what's going to happen... I just pray consumers, especially, like me, will finally say: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! Coming to think of it, perhaps I should thank your current president for a lot of this... ;-) as a considerable number of people around the world continues to be more and more fed up by the way the US GOP has been handling things on a foreign arena... (food for thought!). Who knows, this is where our hope may lie?... In any case, again, 8-9 years and counting BTW... ;-) > I believe that not only is that untrue, > but that we are *already* metricating. > Sigh... Fine, keep on being an incurable optimist, you're just kidding yourself till reality check sinks in: 8-9 years, man... > All I ask is that you not express your pessimism > outside of this forum -- you will only make our job > harder. > Oh, now it's MY fault, eh?... But for your info, of course I keep this sort of thing "between us". Despite my giving up the fact of the matter is I now realize I have much more important things (indeed, we both agree!) to do to waste my time over a lost cause. So, again, I'll leave it up to you folks knowing that the war is lost as far as the US is concerned (unless we, of the rest of the world, arise to the occasion and ultimately FORCE you to do so! ;-) ). Well... enough of tongue in cheek, serious now. Sorry for the apparent ranting here and there, Jim. I just had to let off some steam, I hope you'll forgive me... 8-9 years and counting, that's all I'll leave you with for now, Jim. Best regards, Marcus OUT. ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
