Has Obama said anything yet about his stance on the metric system or has it been pretty quiet thus far?

USMA, I can honestly say I can't wait until the starting gun gets fired. This has been so long coming that I don't think we can wait 10 years for it to be complete. With Mr. Obama wanting to have the interstate system rebuild and create jobs that will rebuild our infrastructure, he surely can have it done in metric from the get go. I still think Australia's model would be the best to follow.

GoMetricToday, most countries that changed over to metric in the 1970s set a 10-year conversion period. Once there a REAL national commitment to metrication, and the "starting gun" is fired, there is no turning back. Measurement is something that everybody does. It is beyond politics. Once it starts, and the economic and social facts are created, it has to proceed to completion.

With the current economy. What does everyone thin the possibilities are that we can finish our metrication during the next 4 years? Will Mr. Obama consider the financial ramifications on our country if we don't complete what was started back in 1866? I seriously hope that he takes a good look at this site realises that we are serious about moving forward with metrication.

Supporters of U.S. metrication might want to consider adding their thanks to Mr. Gene Messick of OpEd News for supporting "Obama metrication." See
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Time-for-America-to-go-Met-by-Gene-Messick-081201-701.html

Besides, it isn't that hard to "drive metric," if you will. It's just a matter of matching the number on your speedometer with the one on the sign. People will get used to it.

Slow seems like the best way, but we might want to try it differently this time around. Another failed metrication attempt might turn people off to the metric system forever. And we don't want that.

The problem is dual unit signs, weather reports, etc. don't really work. All people see are the old units, and completely disregard the metric units. The best way would probably be to get people used to it and then make one big switch, kind of like the switch to digital TV. They've been announcing it for months now (I think even so far back as last year) and are changing all at once.

I think he trick is to do this slowly. Whenever a road sign is replaced, use both metric and standard units. Since the signs would be replaced anyway, there is no additional cost to changing them. Also require that speedometers in cars read in both km/hr and miles/hr.

Old Engineer, the change would be painful for some Americans only if it is done without an effective public information plan. The everyday metric system is a snap to learn, but people need to know why the change is being made and what it will mean in their daily lives. See http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/Metric/lc1136lv.cfm#inchlb

Old Engineer, the change wouldn't be sudden. Some old measures will have to remain for some time. It took Australia several years to phase out the old measures. But we should no longer keep struggling with an archaic system just because some people refuse to accept another and better way of doing things. We can no longer be the 363 kg gorilla in the room. We need to get with the programme.

The change will be painful for most of the nontechnical population. Technical and engineering professionals have already made the switch in many industries. Undergraduate engineering programs have been "metric" for years.

Here is another website dedicated to advocating metrication from President-Elect Obama:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/MetricSystemAdvocates

I know Wakka is on our side. :o) I was just pointing out how things in the archaic system can be so different from one measure to another and how things weight differently depending on whether they are dry or wet. In SI we don't have to worry about that. If it says 1 kg then it is 1 kg whether it is wet or dry. :o)

I think Wakka's already on our side. ;)

Wakka we wouldn't need to worry about whether the product is dry or wet (ex. 16 dry ounces and 16 wet ounces). Since both of them could actually have different weights it would be so much easier with SI. Not to mention the odd and archaic measurements that go into making an acre. I still can't wrap my mind around that. I could see that SI was easier almost 30 years ago when first taught it.

Exactly. It is very frustrating. But I'm feeling good about this one. I think this time around, within the next 4 years, there's a good chance we'll be metric (this website is a very good start).

SI is so easy - base-10. No longer would we have to remember 16 oz. = 1 lb, 128 fl oz = 1 gal. All you need to do to convert is to move the decimal place! No longer would we need conversion ratios. If other Americans saw the ease of SI, we'd switch in a heartbeat. We are the greatest country in the world - why not have the best system of measuremeny

I believe the USA is the only country that has not adopted the metric system. it would send a message that we are in the same world. It would help exports. and we may not loose another probe on mars because of the wrong calculation with feet V Meters. help spread this idea around, it would show that our education system can handle this. We are smart enough to change

"mrbriguy007
I strongly support this effort. However, I have always been curious:
Can anyone estimate the cost to re-sign every road in the country?"
The cost could be minimal. Weather proof stickers could be placed on the speed signs until new signs could be made to replace worn or ageing signs. Mile markers and exit markers can be done in the same way. This can start with the interstates.

When given the proper information, the Australians were able to convert over and have lived at peace with the metric system for over 30 years now. A compulsory change over is the only way to make the change over happen. We have tried the voluntary way and it didn't work. We are loosing trillions of dollars in trade commerce because we aren't fully metric. In this economy can we afford that?