I think properly the blame in both cases should be assigned to Congress (I'm not sure which party, primarily). Both Presidents were dealt a bad hand by Congress relative to metrication, and the President and Federal agencies can't go outside the bounds set by Congress. Congress established the bounds for the metrication board and ensured it was weak, powerless, ineffectual, and represented both pro/con to assure it couldn't agree on anything. Since it was useless, it was only a waste of money. Perhaps Reagan could have tried harder with Congress to get them to set new bounds, but within the existing bounds, mercy killing was the best action. Clinton signed the bills into law, but Congress passed the laws that gutted some metrication plans under EO12770. The law requiring consideration of Customary bricks and lighting fixtures gutted modularity in Federal metric construction and made it a conversion-fest. Eliminating the deadline for highway metrication enabled the States (and all 50 used it) to tell FHWA to stuff their metrication plans, also the law preventing Federal funding of metric highway signs eventually led to the MUTCD dropping metrication of highway signage effective the 2009 edition. I would say those agencies made a valiant effort to continue their metrication programs, but were ultimately defeated by Congress, not their administrations. Congress, not Presidents, is the principal obstacle to metrication in the United States, despite "grandstanding" metric as the preferred system of measure in 1988. More than anyone, Congress speaks with forked tongue on the issue. --- On Tue, 2/8/11, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:49803] Re: Ronald Reagan--NOT an enemy of U.S. metrication To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2011, 9:09 AM Interestingly enough, I blame the Clinton administration for backing down off various pro-metric measures. Especially the DOT stuff with the states. Utter foolishness. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [USMA:49801] Re: Ronald Reagan--NOT an enemy of U.S. metrication From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Date: Tue, February 08, 2011 5:49 am To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Once again, he ended the USMB instead of reinforcing it when he enter office and passed the 1988 bill when he left office, then he died, sorry he as no angle. REAGAN KILLED THE METRICATION OF US. On Feb 8, 2011, Paul Trusten <[email protected]> wrote: I did not raise any aspect of partisan politics with regard to U.S. metrication. Partisanism is poison to the goal, and I have no need to discuss anything else about the Reagan era. I only stated the facts of the times. The USMB was impotent and rudderless, Mr. Reagan did not support outright repeal of the MCA (which would have crippled the goal beyond recognition today), he did support voluntary conversion to metric as stated in his letter to USMB Chairman Polk, and did sign into law the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, which made metric the Nation's preferred measurement system. The latter goes far beyond the effect of any presidential order, since it is the Congress, not the President, who has the power to fix the standard of weights and measures for the United States (U.S. Consitution, Article I, Section 8). The old line that Reagan was the killer of U.S. metrication is a myth. Paul Trusten, R.Ph. , Vice President U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org [email protected] +1(432)528-8824 ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: 06 February, 2011 22:00 Subject: [USMA:49792] Re: Ronald Reagan--NOT an enemy of U.S. metrication Please stop right there, do you even recognize the dates? 1981 his first year in office, 1988 his last year in office. Oh yea, he showed lots of of support?! Where was the Executive Orders anytime of his 8 years in office? All he did was give rich tax cuts will building a deficit. On Feb 6, 2011, Paul Trusten <[email protected]> wrote: On this 100th anniversary of the birth of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan, I had the opportunity to answer a comment sent to USMA that repeated what I call the U.S. metricationist's dogma that President Reagan "stopped" or "derailed" metrication in America because he ended funding for the U.S. Metric Board. The commenter wrote: I wonder how many people remember that it was President Reagan who took us > off a metric progress road. Our country is now in a very uncompetitive > position because of this wrong-headed decision. I doubt that this legacy > will be highlighted in the 100th birthday tribute. We are reaping what > was sown in 1982. I replied: You may be surprised to learn that, contrary to the dogma that has been widely circulated among American metrication supporters, Mr. Reagan did much to keep America on a metrication path. In 1982, U.S. metrication was not doing well at all . The goal had very few champions in government or business and did not enjoy the necessary widespread support from the U.S. public. The U.S. Metric Board (USMB), established by the Metric Coversion Act of 1975 (MCA) merely to "coordinate the increasing use of the metric system in the U.S." and to do that without any compulsory powers, was itself divided in its commitment to the goal (see http://www.metric.org/laws/usmb.html#disbanding ). It even reported to Congress in 1981 that it lacked a mandate to continue its work. In his search for ways to reduce federal spending, President Reagan identified the USMB as a government body that was moribund, and eliminated its funding, for which he has been vilified by metrication supporters. But at this same time, he rejected a proposal by former U.S. Representative Eldon Rudd (R-AZ) to repeal the MCA. He later strengthened the MCA in 1988 by signing into law legislation that declared the metric system to be the Nation's preferred system of measurement for trade and commerce (http://www.metric.org/laws/metric-conv.html). Paul Trusten, R.Ph. , Vice President U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org [email protected] +1(432)528-8824
