Progressives are the most open minded, tolerant, and inclusive people on the planet, as long as you agree with everything they say, and do exactly as you're told.
The US doesn’t use the metric system outside of science and engineering, where it is the standard everywhere (SI units), mainly due to inertia and stupidity. It’s a competitive disadvantage.
How many feet on a side is a tank of water weighing a thousand tons? The equivalent question takes less than a second in metric with no lookups.
I think the 6.5 Creedmoor may turn the tide though! 😎
I thought the USA was going metric early on and the ship with the meter rod was pirated or something like that.
Used to work on oil rigs, a different form of imperial measurement to what was in Australia before metric (short tons, short barrels etc, short gallons) and confusion when converting to metric for companies like elf etc!
I'm with Grandpa Simpson, "It's a tool of the Devil!"
It would simplify so many things....^^^^ set a date and be done with it! ^^^^^
"Camping places fix themselves in your mind as if you had spent long periods of your life in them. You will remember a curve of your wagon track in the grass of the plain like the features of a friend." Isak Dinesen
Much of the US was originally surveyed using the Government Survey system (Township, Range, Section). This is based off units dealing with miles and fractions of a mile. Those surveys make up the basis of legal descriptions for millions of existing properties.
At one time, back in the 70's-80's, the Govt mandated all federal contracts had to be metric. I was working construction for federal contracts, and all the documents were in metric, but it was "soft" metric. It was a pain to get used to, but being "soft" the materials were still english. Ceiling tile were still 2x4, but the documents chose a close conversion and went with it. It didn't last very long.
Oh, and at another time, federal contracts had to adhere to "buy America". Some things just weren't made here.
But in reality, like wabigon says, if we changed over and we grew up with it, it's really easy. Adding and subtracting is straight math, no inches to feet to fractions, etc.
I am a retired surveyor for the Arkansas Highway Department. When I first started back in the 60's, we used feet and tenths/hundredths of a foot. Was told to forget about inches, as only whores and carpenters used that measure. Later I was doing bridge surveys, where I had to measure the existing bridges, in some cases. They had to be measured in feet/inches, carpenter work. Move on along and they starting the metric system, as that was what America was going to. So I had to have and understand, and carry with me three different units of measurement. Hard to get a crew that could or would understand this. They finally kicked the Metric units to the curb, thank goodness. miles
Canada tried to go 100% metric in the late 70s early 80s but typically botched that process and now we have an integrated system which is more confusing than imperial was by itself. We build our houses using inches but do our driving distances and speed using kms. Had we just gone totally 100% metric in 1980, we would be long past the hassle of the conversion and been enjoying the benefits.
The metric system is a far better system in all ways esp for linear measurements used in construction. All weights and measures are multiplied and divided by 10. How easy is that?
Say you have the job of teaching the Imperial system. A inch is three barleycorns, end to end. A foot is the length of a man's foot. An acre is what a man, and a mule can plough in a day .
These premises insured by a Sheltie in Training ,--- and Cooey.o "May the Good Lord take a likin' to you"
