The response is very accurate. The 1975 metrication program was designed
to be one of voluntary conversion. Government participation was designed
to be a matter of support and encouragement. The 1988 Omnibus bill added
example-setting to the government's role.
Remember the aphorism, "You can't make all the people happy all the
time." If a mandatory government metrication program were legislated and
enacted, a significant number of people would object to government
intrusion into their lives. I can understand that. In the case of
metrication, I personally would welcome a government mandate. But some
recent government mandates have raised my ire -- while making some other
people very happy.
So, what we have to work with is a voluntary program. I think that
modification of the FPLA to allow voluntary use of metric-only furthers
personal freedoms and so I would welcome that and, with the exception of
a couple of large lobbies, I think that most people would go along with
that.
But government-mandated metrication would raise quite a storm. While
making me personally happy, a very large segment would object to a loss
of personal freedom by such action.
Until such a government mandate comes along, let's work with what we've got.
Jim
On 2013-05-24 16:50, derryod...@yahoo.com wrote:
I'm not quite sure what to make of this. It's a pathetic response if I
may be honest
Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From: * The White House <i...@messages.whitehouse.gov>;
*To: * <derryod...@yahoo.com>;
*Subject: * Petition Response: Supporting American Choices on Measurement
*Sent: * Fri, May 24, 2013 9:27:11 PM
The White House
Supporting American Choices on Measurement
/By Patrick D. Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and
Technology and Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology/
Thanks for your petition
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMwNTI0LjE5MTg4MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMDUyNC4xOTE4ODI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3OTgwJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGVycnlvZGVsbEB5YWhvby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWRlcnJ5b2RlbGxAeWFob28uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/supporting-american-choices-measurement?utm_source=wethepeople&utm_medium=response&utm_campaign=metric>.
There’s a lot of history here. Right after the Civil War, President
Andrew Johnson signed legislation that made it "lawful throughout the
United States of America to employ the weights and measures of the
metric system in all contracts, dealings or court proceedings." In 1875,
the United States was one of the original 17 nations to sign the Treaty
of the Metre. Since the 1890s, U.S. customary units (the mile, pound,
teaspoon, etc.) have all been defined in terms of their metric equivalents.
So contrary to what many people may think, the U.S. uses the metric
system now to define all basic units used in commerce and trade. At the
same time, if the metric system and U.S. customary system are languages
of measurement, then the United States is truly a bilingual nation.
We measure distance in miles, but fiber optic cable diameter in
millimeters. We weigh deli products in pounds, but medicine in
milligrams. We buy gasoline by the gallon, but soda comes in liter-size
bottles. We parcel property in acres, but remote sensing satellites map
the Earth in square meters.
While many countries mandate the use of the metric system by law, the
U.S. Congress has repeatedly passed laws that encourage voluntary
adoption of the metric system. We use a mixture of metric and customary
units depending on the context. We also have a long tradition of
voluntary standards and our bilingual system of measurement is part of
that tradition.
The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), the agency I direct, was specifically tasked by Congress to help
businesses and federal agencies adopt use of metric units.
The NIST Metric Program
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMwNTI0LjE5MTg4MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMDUyNC4xOTE4ODI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3OTgwJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGVycnlvZGVsbEB5YWhvby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWRlcnJ5b2RlbGxAeWFob28uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&101&&&http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/metric-program.cfm>
provides manufacturers and exporters with the information
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMwNTI0LjE5MTg4MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMDUyNC4xOTE4ODI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3OTgwJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGVycnlvZGVsbEB5YWhvby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWRlcnJ5b2RlbGxAeWFob28uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&102&&&http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/pack-lab.cfm>
about the metric system they need to sell U.S. goods abroad. And it
helps distribute resources for educators
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMwNTI0LjE5MTg4MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMDUyNC4xOTE4ODI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3OTgwJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGVycnlvZGVsbEB5YWhvby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWRlcnJ5b2RlbGxAeWFob28uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&103&&&http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/si-teacher-kit-for-educators.cfm>
who are teaching the metric system in their classrooms. That
responsibility is growing as more students look to careers in science,
technology, engineering, and math, where metric is universal.
Since the 1970s, all American schools have taught the metric system.
Many federal agencies use metric routinely, and the U.S. military does
so almost exclusively. Moreover, since Congress updated the Fair
Packaging and Labeling Act in 1992, most consumer products in this
country are labeled in both metric and U.S. customary units. So-called
dual-unit labeling has helped consumers become familiar with using
metric units.
NIST is currently working to make it possible for manufacturers to label
their products with metric units only (.pdf)
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMwNTI0LjE5MTg4MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMDUyNC4xOTE4ODI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3OTgwJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGVycnlvZGVsbEB5YWhvby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWRlcnJ5b2RlbGxAeWFob28uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&104&&&http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/upload/Voluntary-Metric-Labeling-Dec2009.pdf>
if they choose to do so because it will reduce their costs or improve
their international competitiveness.
Ultimately, the use of metric in this country is a choice and we would
encourage Americans to continue to make the best choice for themselves
and for the purpose at hand and to continue to learn how to move
seamlessly between both systems.
In our voluntary system, it is the consumers who have the power to make
this choice. So if you like, “speak” metric at home by setting your
digital scales to kilograms and your thermometers to Celsius. Cook in
metric with liters and grams and set your GPS to kilometers.
We were thrilled to see this petition from “We the People” succeed.
Feedback like this from consumers shows everyone from policymakers to
businesses how important having this choice is to Americans.
So choose to live your life in metric if you want, and thank you for
signing on.
Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.
<http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMwNTI0LjE5MTg4MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMDUyNC4xOTE4ODI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3OTgwJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGVycnlvZGVsbEB5YWhvby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWRlcnJ5b2RlbGxAeWFob28uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&105&&&http://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/tell-us-what-you-think-about-we-people-and-metric-system?utm_source=wethepeople&utm_medium=response&utm_campaign=metric>
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