This exchange between Ernie and Scott a while back, edited down below, is a good introduction to some questions I've been meaning to ask.
> On 2008-03 -11, at 12:40 , ernie edwards wrote: >> Can someone bring me up to speed on what is holding up converting >> completely to metrics? From: "Scott Hudnall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > In my opinion it is lack of leadership on the issue. Also, lobbyists from > the construction industry and the Food Marketing Institute keep blocking > legislation that would move us forward. The revision of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) to allow metric-only labels is (a) potentially huge, and (b) not unthinkable within the next couple of years. So it seems to me that it should be a major focus of our efforts. My questions are not intended as criticism of prior USMA efforts (I don't know enough to be critical). They are: What is USMA's political strategy to win passage of this revision? Is that strategy written down? Could somebody share it? The Food Marketing Institute is a rich lobby, and we're poor. How much money would it take to go up against FMI in Washington? What would it cost to credibly threaten to run negative "issue" ads in the next election against the key legislators in bed with the FMI? (to "swift boat" them with anything, not to raise the metric issue itself in the ads). Or to run "issue" ads supporting them if they support us? Or to effectively lobby those legislators to give food retailers conversion-cost tax credits to make them buy into the FPLA revision? Would $15 million be enough to fund a credible metric PAC for a couple of years? If so, what's our strategy to get those funds? Have we written grant proposals to foundations, attaching a detailed political strategy and spending plan? Have we approached wealthy philanthropists who support science and technology, many of whom are likely advocates of metrication and have portfolios that fluctuate by 10 times that much every day? Who's in charge of those efforts within USMA, and which philanthropists and organizations were approached? How about the EU and multinationals who would benefit from this change? Are they a possible source of support? Are their voices organized and efforts coordinated on this issue? Could foreign food retailers with operations in the US pressure the FMI to change their position? Could the EU approach those companies to apply such pressure? Who from our organization has discussed this with them or attempted to coordinate those efforts with our own? Have we approached the major stock holders in Safeway, Kroger, etc., to see if we they could pressure their companies to get FMI to stop blocking the FPLA revision? (e.g., Barclays in the UK owns 5% of each). What customer groups might the food retailers not want to offend? Immigrant groups? The national PTA? Veterans groups? Scouts? What have we done to build partnerships with those groups to pressure the food retailers to stop obstructing national progress on this issue? Could such groups become joint signatories to a statement advocating at least some continued progress in metrication? - Victor Jockin
