HB 36, introduced in the Hawaii legislature in January by Hawaii State Representative Karl Rhoads, is a seductive piece of legislation, but, in my view, has fatal flaws. It is tempting to believe that metrication could work within the confines of the country's only island state, but when measurement is involved, so is John Donne: no man is an island.
It fails to take into account Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which empowers only the U.S. Congress to fix the standard of weights and measures for the Nation. Any law attempting to accomplish this at the state level only, may end up being declared unconstitutional in the courts. It ignores the nature of setting a measurement standard, which is a truly national endeavor. Just look at the history of the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, which urged, but did not mandate, metric highway design. State after state geared up for this metrication, and state after state had to revert to pre-metric once it was clear that metrication was not going to be nationwide. Moreover, it was to apply only to highway construction, while other sectors of American society would remain un-transitioned. What if Hawaii or one or two other states were to enact this kind of legislation, leaving the other states and jurisdictions to live with the result? Not only would chaos reign, but the principle of U.S. metrication would endure a setback from which it may not recover for many decades. Establishing a "metric state" or a "metric district" within the U.S. is not metrication. It is just a protest. True, practical metrication begins where it counts: in the Congress, declared to the Nation as a whole, backed up by a national compact for change, and heralded to the U.S. public by pervasive public education that includes schools and the media. It is a huge undertaking, but one that we at USMA and, I believe, committed supporters of the change nationwide, subscribe to. Paul Trusten, Registered Pharmacist Vice President and Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org trus...@grandecom.net On Aug 2, 2013, at 20:43, cont...@metricpioneer.com wrote: > Mr Kevin Hayden. Thanks for explaining things to me over the phone this > afternoon. > Hawaii has A BILL FOR AN ACT - H.B. NO. 36 - > > http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=36 > > that deserves some consideration by those in Oregon government. > I propose that Oregon follow this same course by simply proposing the same > bill; > just change Hawaii to Oregon and use the same text (with any other required > changes as appropriate for Oregon). > The reasons I think Oregon should do this are given in the bill itself. > Please send this request on to those who represent me: > Oregon State Representative Kevin Cameron and > Oregon State Senator Jackie Winters. > Please keep me updated and let me know what else I should do to keep this > important issue moving forward. > Thank you. > > David Pearl > MetricPioneer.com > 503 428 4917 > 1364 Marilyn Street SE > Salem, OR 97302 > cont...@metricpioneer.com > >
