The response has a feedback link at the bottom. Unfortunately, it only asks how you like the "We the People" system, not the response. But there is "comments" box. I stuffed the following in it:
I have to offer a few thoughts on the response to the Metric “We The People” petition: First, quoting ‘We were thrilled to see this petition from “We the People” succeed,’ I have to ask, did it? I see no new action identified in the response that moves us towards metricating the United States. Congress has indeed said metric must be voluntary, but among English-speaking nations who used Imperial/Customary, success or failure in completing metrication is inversely proportional to the degree to which it is voluntary, The US, UK, and Canada have all floundered relative to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The UK and Canada have been a little less voluntary and floundered a little less. If it remains completely voluntary, it will completely flounder. Most people are not equally “bilingual” in two systems of measurement. It may be necessary to consider two groups of monolingual people and ask whether they are equally accommodated. Those who have voluntarily metricated have not been equally accommodated. The proposal, “So choose to live your life in metric if you want” is not really possible. If metric is preferred, then it should be “necessary” if either party in a transaction requests, and should always be “sufficient,” although supplemental information in the other system should be allowed. A non-exhaustive set of examples in which the law does not equally accommodate citizens who have voluntarily metricated: *The FPLA exempts meat, produce, and deli from the dual labeling requirements of FPLA, By law, random weights, and weighed-at-retail must be weighed in pounds, and metric information needn’t be provided. The permissive-metric-only amendment to the FPLA could rectify this one, but has basically gone nowhere since 1997. The 16 years of word tweaking is equivalent to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. *Although wine and spirits must be labeled in metric, beer must be labeled in Customary units and needn’t be labeled in metric. Other exceptions exist that are exempt from FPLA because they are regulated by agencies other than FTC and FDA. Commerce should have charge of all net content labeling, even if other agencies regulate other aspects of the commodity. *The DMV of my State (probably all States) requires me to state my height in feet and inches (non-preferred units) and does not accept my heights in the units Congress (who has the power to set the system of weights and measures) claims are preferred. *Almost 100% of road signs are in Customary, the MUTCD has removed metric sign messages, and States have been allowed to say metric signage (the units Congress claims to prefer) is illegal on their roads. As a result of certain compulsory use of Customary (non-preferred units) all the burden of bilingualism is placed on those who chose to metricate their lives, and no or little burden is placed on those who choose to ignore metrication. The lack of new action of any kind towards the petition request is non-responsive. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: The White House <i...@messages.whitehouse.gov> To: jmsteele9...@sbcglobal.net Sent: Fri, May 24, 2013 5:27:27 PM Subject: Petition Response: Supporting American Choices on Measurement 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. 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 provides manufacturers and exporters with the information about the metric system they need to sell U.S. goods abroad. And it helps distribute resources for educators 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) 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. Stay Connected Stay connected to the White House by signing up for periodic email updates from President Obama and other senior administration officials. Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr Google+ This email was sent to jmsteele9...@sbcglobal.net Sign Up for Updates from the White House Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111
