White House: Use Metric If You Want, We Don't Care

Earlier this year we discussed a petition on the White House's 'We The People' site asking the administration to adopt the metric system as the standard system of measurement in the U.S. Today, the administration issued a disappointing response. Simply put: they're not going to do anything about it. They frame their response as a matter of preserving a citizen's choice to adopt whatever measurement system he wants. Quoting Patrick D. Gallagher of the National Institute of Standards and Technology: "... contrary to what many people may think, the U.S. uses the metric system now to define all basic units used in commerce and trade. At the same time, if the metric system and U.S. customary system are languages of measurement, then the United States is truly a bilingual nation. ... Ultimately, the use of metric in this country is a choice and we would encourage Americans to continue to make the best choice for themselves and for the purpose at hand and to continue to learn how to move seamlessly between both systems. In our voluntary system, it is the consumers who have the power to make this choice. So if you like, "speak" metric at home by setting your digital scales to kilograms and your thermometers to Celsius. Cook in metric with liters and grams and set your GPS to kilometers. ... So choose to live your life in metric if you want, and thank you for signing on."

Comments

The metric system is the tool of the devil!

[Anonymous Coward]

The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it.
----
The Simpsons, Abraham Simpson

Re:The metric system is the tool of the devil!

[jrmcferren]

Mod Parent +5 funny! Anyway as of the last time I was in my auto I was getting 532,224 rods per hogshead which is low compared to 544320. Of course I've been driving where the speed limit ranges from 27,200 furlongs per fortnight to 107,520 furlongs per fortnight. However when the school zone lights are flashing it is a piddly ass 40320 furlongs per fortnight even in a 107,520 furlongs per fortnight zone.

Makes sense

[knotprawn]

Not yielding an inch, are they? Imagine the impact it would have on Subway.

Re:The Spin was Awesome!

[Anonymous Coward]

Only a left wing extremist, America hating, Kenyan, terroristic, neo-communist, piece of scum like Obama would be pushing this hard for a multicultural approach to a system of measurement. I demand that my representatives in the House and Senate do everything they can to stop the President in this latest push to destroy what few remaining decent things remain in this once great nation. We should immediately adopt the metric system as a means to protest this naked grab for power by a mean spirited and hateful administration bent on the destruction of democracy and the last remnants of a Christian faith that sustain us. (We should also outlaw counting by base 12... just because.)

Re:first

[Beerdood]

first

That must be a imperial first, not a metric first.

The White House has the right idea.

[Sydin]

Maybe before we rush to adopt the Metric system, we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this measurement system such a central position in our lives.

Re:The Spin was Awesome!

[smittyoneeach]

Well, given that this administration is about campaigning, not governance, it's clear that metric proponents need to recast themselves as a victim group, and start delivering some votes.
Strong possibilities include:

• Tying traditional measurements to Tradition, which is evil in the face of Holy Progress
• Pointing out that 'feet', 'yards', and 'miles' are associated with patriarchal oppression structures.
• And don't neglect the race card. Those units were implemented by white males, and are thus tinged with the scourge of slavery.

I'm having the vague feeling that I can't tell if I'm trolling here, or drafting notes for a Progressive strategy session.

Re:The Spin was Awesome!

[fustakrakich]

No, no, you're not trolling at all. You carry the 'white man's burden' with total aplomb and grace.

Re:Start here

[Arancaytar]

meters per second or nothing! :P

Re:Start here

[Sponge Bath]

it should be in km/s

I can see the speed limit signs now: 1.94E-3 km/s.

Re:Start here

[EvanED]

Abbreviation from SystÃfme international des unitÃf©s (I may be missing an 'e' or an accent, somewhere)

Don't worry, so is Slashcode.

Re:The Spin was Awesome!

[Anarchduke]

Outlaw base 12? Give me A good reasons!

No need for units

[mypalmike]

Given that relativity is well established, those signs should be unitless. Instead of 55 mph, just have them say 0.000000082.

Re:Start here

[VortexCortex]

but if they want to claim that they are truly "bilingual" with measurements, then having both MPH and KPH would make the most sense...

They did that in Florida. People kept stealing the signs.

You might be a redneck if, your unit conversion chart is made of empty food boxes and stolen street signs...

Re:Start here

[otuz]

I'd suggest just base36-formatting the epoch (unix) time. It's about mnbzcn when I'm writing this.

Re:Start here

[PopeRatzo]

As long as you write 1.94E-3 km/s plus or minus a standard deviation [Sigma], in regards to the distribution of speeds people actually travel down the road away from the mean, or plus or minus 10x the expected measurement error.

OK, you're officially in charge of the standards committee for the spastic system.

Re:Start here

[KGIII]

That's funny. Also, don't forget drugs. Drugs have been teaching our kids the metric scale for quite some time.

Re:Start here

[Joce640k]

All you have to do is make the speed limit either 55mph or 100km/h (driver's choice...)

Pretty soon you'll have most of America swearing they were driving at 100km/h.