Has anyone ever voted on what latitude and longitude they are? Do we
vote on our time zones? Do we vote on how many days are in February, 28
or 30 or 31?
How can we vote on a standard?
These are set by international agreement. I have no choice about my
latitude or longitude (ecxcept to move) or what time zone I am in or
where the time zones are. Nor do we ever vote on what day of the week it
is or what day of the month.
Why can't we look at metrication as a standard and set by the government
the same way clean water and clean air standards are set and we simply
have to follow the rules whether we agree with them or not.
The administration can certainly get "out front" when it comes to
homosexual marriage or gun control or abortion rights. Can they not get
out front in metrication?
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: "John M. Steele" <[email protected]>
Date: Saturday, May 25, 2013 7:55 am
Subject: [USMA:52817] Fw: Petition Response: Supporting American Choices
on Measurement
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
>
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 <[email protected]>
*To:* [email protected]
*Sent:* Fri, May 24, 2013 5:27:27 PM
*Subject:* Petition Response: Supporting American Choices on Measurement
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.
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.
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