[Healeys] Today's Rant

[skip saunders]

I remember a similar story.  The claim was the American people were too stupid to understand the metric system… problems with Fahrenheit vs Celsius too.   Consequently they decided to post speed limits, distances to cities, weather reports, etc. in both terminologies.  The theory was, over time, the people would start to understand either system.    Back then,  I didn’t believe the American people were too stupid.  I just thought the politicians were a bit thick.   … Of course, then we had an election in 2016.

 

 

From: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Robert Begani
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2020 1:13 PM
To: 'i erbs'; healeys at autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Today's Rant

 

What I heard back in the day,  a Michigan congressman saw a dual speed limit sign in English mph and Metric kph.  He thought “why should I and my constituents have to learn a European Language”.  Unfortunately, the Michigan car makers encourage him to propose an amendment to the US law which provided for a 10 year transition to the metric system of weights and measures.  This amendment put a temporary hold on the progress and has never been removed so there was no progression require conversion, to teach school children to learn and so on.  However, there are many roads in the USA which still have dual signs which by law cannot be removed as they are under phase one of the law. 

 

Every country in the world using the English system of weights and measures signed the international treaty and began to covert to the metric systems, except the USA.  In all those countries children began to learn the system in the 60’s and the use of dual signs and gauges were acceptable until everyone in these countries became knowledgeable in the metric system.  Too bad we had to say “wait a minute “ which has lasted our lifetimes.

 

Note, all automobiles, and many manufactured products are fully metric today except the humans which use them.

 

Bob Begani 

 

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