The President (and hopefully others in the White House) could require that all reports to the Central Office of the Executive Branch, that contain units of physical measurements, be expressed in SI, if White House personnel were more sympathetic with the intent of Executive Order 12770. Such action would not force any "impositions" (?) of SI on members of the general public, unless they were intimately involved with Executive Branch operations.
We still don't know the attitude of President Obama with respect to SI. The NIST response to the Metric Petition only *implies* that attitudes of at least some personnel in the White House are not firmly in support of SI. By allowing this question to simmer far on a back burner, the President sends a message that SI is still opposed by enough well funded lobbies that it is too controversial to promote vigorously at this time. Hopefully, the facts of world trade losses (and pro-SI negotiations) will force a more favorable consideration of SI. Eugene Mechtly ________________________________ From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [owner-u...@colostate.edu] on behalf of John M. Steele [jmsteele9...@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Monday, June 10, 2013 5:17 AM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:52906] Re: My reply to Mr. Gallagher. I guess I don't understand the irony, as EO 12770, ordering government agencies to go metric, was also signed by a Republican President, and then not enforced by subsequent Presidents of any flavor. Waffling on metric is as bipartisan as anything could be in politics. ________________________________ From: Henschel Mark <mw-hensch...@neiu.edu> To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu> Cc: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu> Sent: Sun, June 9, 2013 10:37:07 PM Subject: [USMA:52903] Re: My reply to Mr. Gallagher. I like it, and more of us should respond. Did you notice how he talked about how the government this and the government that? He doesn't seem to realize he IS the government. I doubt the guy even bothered to read the results of the 1971 study by Maurice Stans from the Nixon administration, "A Metric America, a Decision Whose Time has Come". Seems Metrication was originally pushed by a Republican administration, how ironic is that? Mark ----- Original Message ----- From: Edward Schlesinger <edws...@gmail.com> Date: Saturday, June 8, 2013 4:09 pm Subject: [USMA:52901] My reply to Mr. Gallagher. To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> > Here is a copy of my response to "Supporting American Choices on Measurement". > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 8/Jun/13 > > > > Patrick D. Gallagher > > 100 > Bureau Drive, Stop 1000 > > Gaithersburg, > MD 20899-1000 > > > > Mr. Gallagher: > > > > I am writing in response to the > petition I signed on We the People. These are my thoughts on “Supporting > American Choices on Measurement.” > > > > Your response sidesteps an > important issue that the United States lacks in trade, education, and sciences > since we as a nation have not fully converted to the International System of > Units since the 1970s. > > > > If you state we are > bilingual as a country, inferring that most citizens of the United States have > the same proficiency with USC and SI units, this statement is false. Students > are particularly confused especially if they don’t go to college where the > metric system is an integral part of the sciences. One day, while I was at the > grocery store, I saw a group of high school students whose assignment was to > bake a cake using metric units. I overheard them discussing what container of > milk to buy to have 6 cups of milk but they didn’t know what that was in > metric. I pointed out to them that for liquid measures; there are 250 mL in a > cup. After making that calculation, they asked me how many milliliters are in > a > liter. If they knew the metric system, would they have to ask that? > > > > I know that since the 1890s U.S. > customary units are all defined in terms of their > metric equivalents. However, dual labeling does not help consumers or industry > become familiar with using metric units. My observation has been consumers > ignore metric units and figure price per oz. I understand that most consumers > do not comprehend gram weight on the nutritional value label even though > something as common as the one-cent piece is weighed in grams. > > > > The many > countries that mandate the use of the metric system by law have had an easier > transition than the U.S. and our voluntary system. South Africa and Australia > come to mind as examples where the government put resources into education and > manufacturing for a quick and smooth transition. How much money is wasted in > building cost because the trades have not transitioned to metric? Successful > use of a system of weights and measures is an all-or-nothing proposition. The > so-called “choice” we have in this country, is holding us back and making us > out of step with most other nations. It simply will not work in any meaningful > way if I use customary units outside my home and metric in my home. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Edward B. Schlesinger > > > > Edward B. > Schlesinger > > -- > Sincerely, > Edward B. > > >
