As originally constituted, it was useless, toothless, and a waste of taxpayer money. The authorizing law makes it so. It should NOT be reconstituted under existing law. Disbanding it was the right thing. If it had real teeth and an assignment to make metrication happen by a deadline, perhaps it shjould be brought back, but it would require new authorizing law that is purposeful and gives the Board power to make metrication happen.
--- On Fri, 12/7/12, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:52054] Re: Should the U.S. Metric Board Be Resuscitated? To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Date: Friday, December 7, 2012, 3:08 PM 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"
