The continued opposition to the metric system of measurement (SI) by the
United States is just another example of the continuing decline of the US.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Carleton MacDonald
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 1:19 PM
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.
