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

Posted by Soulskill on from the not-yielding-an-inch dept.

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."

8 of 1,145 comments (clear)

  1. The metric system is the tool of the devil! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    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

  2. Makes sense by knotprawn · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  3. Re:The Spin was Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.)

  4. The White House has the right idea. by Sydin · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  5. Re:Start here by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

    it should be in km/s

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

  6. Re:Start here by EvanED · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    Don't worry, so is Slashcode.

  7. Re:Start here by VortexCortex · · Score: 5, Funny

    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...

  8. Re:Start here by KGIII · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."