Some proposals As the president is the head of the Executive branch, any actions by Federal agencies should accrue to him, personally. On laws passed by Congress, he has some shared equity with Congress. He theoretically has a veto, but if Congress passes it, he usually signs it into law.
Some contenders as Federal agency actions (I would have to look up the Presidents): 1893 - Mendenhall Order 1954 - Adoption of International Nautical Mile (Eisenhower) 1958/1959 - Adoption of new values for foot and pound. This one is debatable, but it rationalized the foot and pound with other nations and more clearly declared them to be fractions of metric standards. (Eisenhower) ca. 1978 - TTB requirements for metric fill and net contents on wine and spirits (took effect in 1979 and 1980. I haven't been able to find the date of regulations. Laws - shared equity with Congress: 1988 Omnibus Trade and Competivness Act - declared metric preferred system of weights and measures, but also made it voluntary We should probably consider the two laws which undermined metric conversion plans by Federal agencies as well: 1995 National Highway System Designation Act - undermined plans for metric signs and metric highway construction 1996 Savings in Construction Act - underminded GSA plans for metric Federal facilities construction by requiring Customary brick and lighting fixtures if they were cheaper. Requiring things that don't fit the standard modules undermines modularity. These two sent two good metrication plans into tailspins, and were a definite win for "the forces of evil." ________________________________ From: Pat Naughtin <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Mon, January 17, 2011 3:22:49 PM Subject: [USMA:49544] Re: The REAL Reason On 2011/01/17, at 23:08 , John M. Steele wrote: > >Neither party has exactly touted a pro-metric plank in their party platform, >so >perhaps we should not politicize this, or stick to facts, not acusations. >However, I have to point out that George H. W. Bush issued EO 12770 and is the >President that signed into law the FPLA amendment requiring metric in 1992 (it >came into effect in 1994). Subsequently EO 12770 has been poorly enforced by >Presidents of both parties and undermined by Congress (exemptions in Federal >metric construction, and total reversal of FWHA highway plans). Dear John, This extract from the most recent Metrication matters newsletter might be useful for your discussions (the source is at http://metricationmatters.com/mm-newsletter-2011-01.html ): Question: "Which presidents of the USA have been supporters of decimal metric system?" Answer: Here are my candidates: * President George Washington (1789-1797) pushed for a rational decimal system of measurement based on the Constitutional requirement for national measurements. * President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) produced a report that described a decimal measurement system using redefined old measuring words Together with Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson successfully promoted the idea of using decimal numbers for a universal decimal metric system that was legalised in France in the 1790s. * President John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) Produced a report (in 1821) that favoured the metric system * President Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) Legalised the metric system in the USA * President Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) Signed "The treaty of the metre" * President Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) Approved the use of metric system electrical units * President Gerald Ford (1974-1977) signed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 * President George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) Signed Law EO12770 that required Government Departments to use the metric system Perhaps you can provide others that I don't know about. Cheers, Pat Naughtin Geelong. Australia On 2011/01/17, at 23:08 , John M. Steele wrote: Neither party has exactly touted a pro-metric plank in their party platform, so perhaps we should not politicize this, or stick to facts, not acusations. However, I have to point out that George H. W. Bush issued EO 12770 and is the President that signed into law the FPLA amendment requiring metric in 1992 (it came into effect in 1994). Subsequently EO 12770 has been poorly enforced by Presidents of both parties and undermined by Congress (exemptions in Federal metric construction, and total reversal of FWHA highway plans). > >Feel free to add a list of important Democratic contributions. > > > > ________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> >Cc: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> >Sent: Mon, January 17, 2011 6:41:09 AM >Subject: [USMA:49532] Re: The REAL Reason > >First, I could not find the original article on bigpond.com, which I think is >a >Australian site, but I did find a nice >scale, http://shop.bigpond.com/product.asp?ID=92785 with a built in >temperature >probe. > >Second, thanks to our republican side, yes that is how half (or more that half >since last election) of America thinks. That is funny because I think >republicans are the ignorant ones, not the friendly French. > >Id put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we >dont have to wait til oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish I had >a >few more years left. -- Thomas Edison♽☯♑ > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Pat Naughtin" <[email protected]> >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> >Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 4:10:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern >Subject: [USMA:49531] The REAL Reason > >Dear All, > > >How common is >this? http://politicsnetnews.blogspot.com/2011/01/re-gingerymachines-re-metric-argument_6154.html > > > >It contains this quote: > > >The REAL Reason: >7. Metric is a stupid cowardly French system. You don't want to >support those smelly unwashed arrogant ingrates, do you? GOD BLESS >AMERICA! > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Cheers, > > >Pat Naughtin LCAMS >Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, >see http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html >Hear Pat speak at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lshRAPvPZY >PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, >Geelong, Australia >Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 > > >Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped >thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric >system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands >each >year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides >services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for >commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and >in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, >NIST, >and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. S >ee http://www.metricationmatters.com for more metrication information, contact >Pat [email protected] or to get the free ' Metrication >matters ' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter to >subscribe. > > Pat Naughtin LCAMS Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, see http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html Hear Pat speak at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lshRAPvPZY PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, Geelong, Australia Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com for more metrication information, contact Pat at [email protected] or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter to subscribe.
