The Honorable Jan Brewer Governor of Arizona 1700 West Washington Phoenix, AZ 85007
Dear Governor Brewer, Thank you for reaching the decision to postpone action on replacing the signs along a section of Interstate Highway 19 that currently display units of the metric system of measurement. If you decide to maintain the metric signs permanently, such a move would be in agreement with Congress, which has the power to fix the standard of weights and measures for the Nation. In 1988, Congress passed the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act, declaring that the metric system is the "preferred system of measurement" for U.S. trade and commerce. Apparently, it is also the measurement system of choice for some I-19 Arizona merchants, who would be adversely affected in trade and commerce if they had to revise their 29-year-old marketing practices to accommodate a possible step backward from metric. Despite Congressional urgings, the U.S. remains the only major nation without a plan to change over to the simple, decimal metric system as the country's single,everyday measurement standard. This makes the State of Arizona a leader in its efforts along I-19. I urge you to continue pointing the way to a better infrastructure for America. Sincerely, Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Blvd. Apt. 122 Midland, Texas 79707-2872 US +1(432)528-7724 [email protected]
