Unfortunately, even though in some ways things look better for some sort of metrication than in quite a while, I suspect the current constraints will keep a lid on change until the economy improves.
I think we can consider ourselves lucky if we can get the FPLA amended and add New York and Alabama to the updated UPLR. Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carleton MacDonald" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:19:49 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [USMA:45157] Re: NASA Going English Unfortunately I agree with you. The Arizona highway people, all the highway departments in the USA that reverted from metric to English measure, and the NASA people, no doubt believe that the USA will NEVER go metric. They are reverting because of whining from contractors who have political clout, and they firmly believe that this reversion, and the use of English measure, will go on forever. This administration, and this Democratic Congress, is politically the most likely to ever carry out the final metrication process. They have promoted change and have promoted America becoming more a partner in the world, and their supporters (which includes me) are those more likely to be in favor of metrication (I know pretty much every one of my friends and acquaintances thinks that way – they all wonder why it wasn’t done years ago). If they don’t do it, no future administration will. The way the US Congress works (easy to hinder things, hard to pass things), the whole “State’s Rights” situation here that doesn’t exist in many other places, the radio talk show babblers, and the whole army of whiners who just hate change, all make me rather pessimistic that anything will ever be done. Carleton From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Victor Jockin Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2009 19:30 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:45150] Re: NASA Going English I strongly agree that mandatory conversion in the only answer, but I also believe it will not happen in the US within the lifetimes of anyone reading this. The US metric conversion debacle of the last 40 years makes for an interesting case study in American government. In short, I think our government is nearly unique among western democracies in that it is incapable of acting in the public interest when private interests oppose action. The Senate is an undemocratic institution that empowers individual senators (i.e., the financial backers of individual senators) to block almost any action. Add to that public ignorance of the need to for metric conversion, and we can forget about a metric America. This is tragic, but so are the innumerable other legislative disasters we endure as a nation, our current $trillion+ budget deficits being one recent example. From: Carleton MacDonald Sent: 05/29/2009 7:15 PM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:45134] Re: NASA Going English I know this will inflame the libertarians here but the ONLY thing that is going to fix this, fix Arizona, fix the highway departments reverting, etc. is for nationwide legislation, passed by this Congress and signed by this President, to immediately begin a coordinated, concerted and mandatory effort to finish the metrication job in all aspects of American government, commerce, and society, and in a span of time no more than two years. Do not listen to the “freedom of choice” whiners, to those who want this to be “voluntary”, etc. That’s what has put us in the terrible situation we are now in, with reversions all over the place. I really do think they’d get a lot less resistance than they think they would, if only they would get the cojones to just get the job done and stop worrying about or listening to the complainers. Carleton From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 19:20 To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:45125] Re: NASA Going English So, this is the "change we need"? Back to the 19th century???? ----- Original Message ----- From: "John M. Steele" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 4:11:49 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [USMA:45124] NASA Going English Unbelievable. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31353 Quoted from link: Subject: New Management Directive on Units All, You've all heard the news that we're going back to English as the primary unit of measure. Attached is the draft Management Directive. We're planning on bring this MD to the CxCB on 6/5/09. Please let me know if you have any issues.
