Senator Zell Miller Washington, DC Dear Senator Miller: This is my third attempt to write an email to you tonight. I am not an expert with the computer and because I was attempting to save a copy of my email to you, I may have inadvertently lost my two previous attempts. Because the only way to email you is through your web site, I do not actually know your email address. Thus I asked for advice from a friend on how to save a copy for myself. I urge you to support an presumed Commerce Department submission of a bill or amendment to another bill which would allow metric-only labeling using the units of the International System of Units (SI). As you are aware, the United States was one of the original supporters of the Treaty of the Metre. Presidents Washington, Adams, and Madison urged Congress to adopt the newly developed decimal-based metric system but to no avail. My career was that of an accountant and I thank Congress for adopting dollars and cents in those early days rather than the then British use of 12-pence per shilling and 20-shillings per pound sterling. I don't recall now how many farthings there were to a pence, nor does anyone have to care any longer! Even the United Kingdom is in its final stages of finalizing its use of SI-metric. Don't believe the reactionary right wing blather you may hear from the UK about Brussels requiring SI. It is true that the UK must harmonize measures with the EU, but the UK parliament realized that and passed their own proper laws to make this happen and the movement was led by British industry starting in the early 1960s. Other present or former British Commonwealth nations have made spectacularly quick conversions to SI, namely New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Jamaica. Now Great Britain and Ireland both are finishing up their conversions. We, the U.S., are the major impediment to Canada finishing its successful conversion. With our attempts now to foster a western hemisphere trade agreement, we will become even more aware of how SI is the International System of Units, i.e., the world STANDARD. I find it laughable that states which are reverting from requiring SI-metric highway standards continually say that they are reverting to "English standards" at the same time that the English are changing to the "International standard, SI". To repeat, please support metric-only labeling under FLPA. This will enable the rest of the states to utilize metric-only labeling under the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulations (UPLR). We need to do this for our own good and for the good of exports.
