Thanks everyone for forwarding a copy of this very good article. Mike Payne
> On 9 Jun 2020, at 10:43, Peter Goodyear <[email protected]> wrote: > > For you, Mike, > > Because Mr Box said such nice things about Australia: > > > > Thad Box: Moving to metric would boost the American economy > > By Thad Box | Special to The Tribune > > 2020-06-07 > > More Americans are out of work than ever before. J.C. Penney, the go-to store > of my youth, filed for bankruptcy. Many temporary closed businesses will > never open again. Our government showers companies with funds not backed by > gold hoping that newly created money will help keep people employed. Good > people, out of a job and with car and house payments due, get their groceries > at food banks. > > Our country is in a mess, but I’ve danced to this tune before. > > Herbert Hoover was president the year I was born. My parents were homeless, > living in a tent helping prune pecan trees. By the time I was 4 years old, > Franklin Roosevelt was a new president trying to improve lives of Americans > using New Deal tricks to feed starving people. His make-work projects built > roads, brought electricity to rural areas, stabilized eroding land, developed > national parks and generally improved our environment. > > Roosevelt’s plan provided government jobs that get money to the people, > improve our land and groom our country to become a world leader. We have a > chance to once again lead the world, if we engage the American people in a > common goal that will strengthen our ability to serve the planet, not just > the U.S.A. > > Adopting the metric system (changing pounds to kilos, yards to meters) is one > obvious move that would involve people of all ages and re-establish our > United States as a world leader. All countries except the U.S., Liberia and > Myanmar have adopted or sanctioned the the metric system. > > This move would provide employment to millions of Americans in all walks of > life. It would make life easier by doing away with plug-in converters and two > sets of tools. Eventually it would improve our international relations, > strengthen our country and make living in a global economy easier. > > In the short run, there would be resistance. Fifty years ago my family and I > spent a year in Australia. They were in the process of switching from the > British system to the metric system. Between 1970 and 1988, imperial units > were withdrawn from general legal use and replaced with SI Metric units. Most > of the road signs and price tags in retail stores were, for several years, in > both British and metric units. > > When we first arrived, political leaders and scientists I worked with thought > adopting the metric system was the right thing to do. Australia would benefit > from it. > The bushmen and most laborers were strongly against the move. A year later, > most people had accepted the fact that adopting the metric system was a good > move. > > Seven years later we spent another year in Australia. Most Australians were > extremely proud of improvements the switch to the metric system had brought > them. More than once I had colleagues who had studied in the U.S. suggest > that unless we Yanks joined the rest of the world our role as world leader > was questionable. > > An American switch to the metric system has been considered, but not > seriously, for several decades. The time has come. Millions of Americans are > out of work. Thousands of companies are failing. Taxpayer money is going to > companies rather than people. Our leaders seem to understand that changes are > needed, but they have not been able to come up with something that would > benefit every person in the long run. > > Changing to the metric system can do it. In the short run there will be some > objection to giving up the greenback or changing a football field from yards > to meters. But funding a change now can help people and companies become > world leaders again. It could change our schools and our companies. It will > affect every American, and will benefit every state. > > Adopting the metric system is a move we should have made years ago. If we are > to lead the world we should all measure things the same way. A move to the > metric system would benefit Americans and help keep us a world leader. > Instead of giving money to businesses and corporations we need government > programs similar to Roosevelt’s that will help every American. > > Joining the rest of the world in the way we measure things is a good start. > > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > > Best wishes, > > Peter Goodyear, > > Melbourne, Australia > e-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > >> On 9 Jun 2020, at 16:17, Michael Payne <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >>>> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sltrib.com%2Fopinion%2Fcommentary%2F2020%2F06%2F07%2Fthad-box-moving-metric%2F&data=02%7C01%7Cusma%40lists.colostate.edu%7Cb6a6018bdab444ab8f3b08d80cf878c6%7Cafb58802ff7a4bb1ab21367ff2ecfc8b%7C0%7C0%7C637273608604621461&sdata=soMiJ3MyU%2Bu2WVEN3m3iAt%2FSRX0E%2BCIqg3E53M%2BSAic%3D&reserved=0 >>>> >>>> <https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sltrib.com%2Fopinion%2Fcommentary%2F2020%2F06%2F07%2Fthad-box-moving-metric%2F&data=02%7C01%7Cusma%40lists.colostate.edu%7Cb6a6018bdab444ab8f3b08d80cf878c6%7Cafb58802ff7a4bb1ab21367ff2ecfc8b%7C0%7C0%7C637273608604621461&sdata=soMiJ3MyU%2Bu2WVEN3m3iAt%2FSRX0E%2BCIqg3E53M%2BSAic%3D&reserved=0>
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