Stan-- You are correct. My point was not to praise or condemn particular
political parties, but to point out how, in a time of increased
constitutional awareness, particularly among conservatives, metric fits
right in, and is not unconstitutional government interference.
Your comment indicates -- and I agree -- that metric should be above
politics. I would not call either Ford or Bush "conservatives," and
certainly Obama has done zero in promoting metric, which would be so easy
now by tying it to improved economics, international trade, and
math/science education.
The U.S. Metric Board is a fascinating study in itself. When it became a
vehicle for anti-metric bashing rather than forming practical metrication
goals and methods, I though that we were better without it. Reagan (a
Republican) dissolved it. In hindsight, I might be convinced that it
would have been better to keep the Board. At least it would have focused
some public attention on the issue and yield, one would hope, more
positive results than negative. Yet it could also, as you say, become a
lightning-rod for pointless anti-matric posturing.
Now here's a challenge to Obama: resuscitate the U.S. Metric Board. It's
still the law of the land. But don't hold your breath.
Martin Morrison
Metric Training & Education
USMA's "Metric Today"
