OpEdNews » Time for America to go Metric? Youbecha!

December 1, 2008 at 17:18:33

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Time for America to go Metric? Youbecha!

by Gene Messick Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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According to the 2006 Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, the International System of Units (Metric System) is the primary or sole system of measurement for all nations around the World EXCEPT: 1) Myanmar, 2) Liberia, and 3) the United States.

One of the quickest and -- in the long term -- most useful new deal New Deal projects President Obama could get under way as soon as he's Inaugurated is to have Legislation introduced in Congress to take the United States to Metric Standards of Weights and Measures.

We're the only significant nation which does not measure everything in liters, meters, kilometers, etc. Even in the U. S., 2 liter soft drinks and 750 ml bottles of wine have jumped the great divide. Why not everything else?

The infrastructure is already in place: every State has Agencies to check weighing scales used in commerce, and gasoline pumps. Giving them Grants to help convert would put a lot of folks to work, quickly. While it's slightly technical regarding some machinery re-calibration, most of the conversion would be more like a giant Spring House Cleaning, requiring lots of help, but not highly skilled labor. It's not like sending a rocket to the moon. It's just changing the numbers.

Still, in manufacturing it would take a few years to changeover. Such a program would keep a lot of folks employed for a while. Some sort of tax credit or deduction would be encouraging.

With simple digital calculators for us mathematically challenged, who would even need a conversion chart during the changeover?

As it is, everyone around the World who manufactures to sell in America must build to U. S. Standards on Metric machinery. Lots of foreign made cars are metric, and any mechanic worth is salt has a dual set of tools. All this wasted 2-step fiddle-faddle can come to a screeching halt.

School kids will suddenly discover the amazing ease to do conversions by simply moving a decimal point, instead of dividing or multiplying by weird numbers like 12, 2000 or 5,280.

Metric is simple, because we use a 10 based number system. We have ten "digits" on our hands, and that's still how many ordinary folks around the world do their arithmetic.

Why not use this simple BAILOUT measure to not only improve our Economy with jobs, but also to create a Marker in Time, a milepost in our history, between old systems which are being antiquated by our new digital future?

President Obama, here's a true win-win-win situation, one that future generations will look back upon and wonder why it took us so long to get here. You can start building your positive legacy with Metric Conversion on your first day in Office.

And future grampas can say, "When I was a kid, young feller, 8 oz was a cup, 32 a quart, and 128 a gallon. Until that Obama guy came along. You don't know how lucky you are!"

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OBTW, while you're at it, Mr. President, how about getting rid of that .9 cents per gallon nonsense? Think how much can be saved in producing new gas pumps if gas is 2.53 instead of 2.529. What's so wrong with $1.999 just being $2?

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For 17 years Gene Messick studied and taught Design at NC State University and Cornell. Co-founding the Visual Design Program at NCSU, he established the Photography Program at Cornell, where he taught in the Architecture Department, most interested (more...)

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4 comments

Paul Trusten

U.S. Metric Association thanks you

Dear Mr. Messick, Thank you for adding your support to that of the rapidly growing number of American journalists who favor U.S. metrication! We at the U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc. have been working toward this national goal since 1916. Like you, we are convinced that the U.S. stands to gain economically, industrially, commercially, and academically by making the the International System of Units (the SI) the Nation's everyday standard of measurement. Our Web site (http://www.metric.org) is a widely accessed repository of information on the subject. To join USMA, see http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/pdf/membership.pdf. SI-ncerely, Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. 3609 Caldera Blvd., Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 US (432)528-7724 trusten@grandecom.net

by Paul Trusten (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Thursday, Dec 4, 2008 at 3:50:42 PM

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John Candido

The United States needs to change over to the metric system.

AMERICA MUST COMMIT ITSELF TO A NATIONAL, FORCED, COORDINATED CONVERSION PROGRAM TO THE SI SYSTEM OF MEASURES, AS THE ONLY LEGALLY RECOGNISED SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT FOR ITSELF, IN UNISON WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD. DURING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, THINK OF AMERICA'S NEED TO CONNECT WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD WITH THE METRIC SYSTEM, BECAUSE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE. GO METRIC USA.

by John Candido (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 1:24:10 AM

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Bruce Herbertson III

Thank you from a Metric Citizen!!!

During the 70's and 80's when we were supposed to be converting. The school system went headlong in teaching the students metric. We didn't learn much of the old way until I was in high school. I ask Mr. Obama to make it compulsory for the change to be completed. Follow Australia's example. From what I understand their conversion was pretty painless.

When given the proper information, the Australians were able to convert over and have lived at peace with the metric system for over 30 years now. A compulsory change over is the only way to make the change over happen. We have tried the voluntary way and it didn't work. We are loosing trillions of dollars in trade commerce because we aren't fully metric. In this economy can we afford that?

I included the text from another site that I had posted to. I think it says it all as far as my opinion goes. Thank you for helping to further metrication in the US.

by Bruce Herbertson III (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Sunday, Dec 7, 2008 at 1:34:59 PM

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Remek Kocz

I second that.

It would be great if we could couple the metric conversion with the proposed infrastructure improvements. Metric makes the engineers' and builders' jobs more efficient and thus reduces costs. The process of conversion alone would generate a good number of jobs: people needed to alter or change the road signs, specialists who would shepherd corporations or public entities through the process, etc.

by Remek Kocz (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2008 at 12:43:57 PM

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