The Emporia Gazette

Convert and be saved

Let's wind it up, there are none as blind as those that do not want to see. Cheers

February 3, 2009 at 5:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Convert and be saved

Yes, it has to be implemented industry by industry with their special needs and timelines in conjunction with experts and the help of government. Why all this fuss, you do not have to re-invent the wheel, plenty of countries have done it in an orderly fashion and did not go broke. On the contrary, they all benefitted. Or do you think Americans are a different species?

Re-oh4theluvof.
Just curious how this would look at say, Dolly Madison? I don't know how exactly it all works now, but I would assume there is some measuring going on in standard units when mixing ingredients. Would that stay the same and just the packaging would be printed differently? Or would it all need to be switched? What would it look like as they have to replace equipment one piece at a time and some of the bakery is standard and some is metric? Would this even be an issue?
I think the big point here is that each type of industry (small picture) would have to be examined carefully to determine the practicality of such a switch and a change made only if the benefits will FOR SURE outweigh the total nationwide inconvenience (big picture). In my humble opinion, our country is making rash decisions hand-over-fist based on speculation(hypothesis) rather than proven rationale leading to the decision as the next logical step (theory).

February 2, 2009 at 11:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Convert and be saved

If these machines are used to manufacture pots and pans its fine, but don't use them to produce precision equipment.

Posted by seriouslyfolks (anonymous) on February 2, 2009 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What is the life cycle of a machine? That makes me laugh. I am a maintenance man and can tell you first hand that we try to keep machines going well into there third life time so the folks in the office can get their bonuses. All this "conversion" looks good on paper or a computer screen but out on the factory floors it looks completely different.

February 2, 2009 at 9:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Convert and be saved

Sums that mindset nicely up

crackinsack re -neighbor,
Yeah, we've been smoking cigs, exposing folks to SHS and not using the metric system for years! Why change now? …Even if it is for the better...
Stubbornness is not generally a good quality to have... Before dismissing your daughter’s ideas, you might listen next time. Some ideas are worthwhile even if it’s not the same-ol’ same-ol’.
I can hear it at neighbor's house now..."No, daughter. They've been saying SHS is dangerous for years, but I couldn’t care less. Let’s not change anything, ok?"

February 2, 2009 at 7:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Convert and be saved

Come on Happiness09, you don’t seem to be all that happy? What are you frightened off, progress? You sure are a pessimist and that does your bloodpressure no good :-))
Five countries have switched to metric in the last 40 years. Three have done an excellent job, New Zealand, S.Africa and Australia completed the transition within 10-15 years. All use a few remnants of imperial units colloquially, but everything you hear and see is metric.
The remaining countries, Canada and Britain made a monumental mess of it. Both are in a measurement limbo and not sure whether they are imperial Martha, or metric Arthur. The benefits of metrication can only be reaped if it is quick and comprehensive, everything else leads to more costs, wasted time and confusion. Both countries would have been better off to stay with imperial only, but they can’t if they want to survive in a metric world

February 2, 2009 at 6:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Convert and be saved

Re-post by seriouslyfolks (anonymous) on February 1, 2009 at 10:34 p.m.
Are you telling me that America is the only first world country on the planet that cannot afford to go metric?
All companies in metric countries had to convert at one time and managed it. If you keep waiting for the right time, you wait forever and a day. Metrication properly executed, (usually within 10 + years), governments do give tax concessions and suggest that existing machine tools should only be replaced at the end of their life cycle. That should not worry you unduly with most production companies having gone off shore.
If America handles everything like metrication it is no wonder that important projects like infrastructures, education and so on are so neglected.
As to your xtrilliion debt, I did say "self confessed richest nation".

February 2, 2009 at 5:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Convert and be saved

Re-post b3bill (anonymous) on January 31, 2009 at 10:04 p.m.

Maybe you should look at that problem the other way around? Of course switching to the metric system does not solve America’s problems, but had it done so 20 years ago, or much earlier, it would at least compete on a level playing field. Who says that all those jobs would have gone had America used metric measures to produce not only for the home market, but for exports as well? It does not help to produce cars to the metric standard if you keep on producing petrol guzzling dinosaurs.
What I am basically saying is, yes all countries around the world have economic problems now, but those, as you know, have nothing to do with measurements, but America's slack financial laws. Aside that, metric countries will recover and export again, while America will still be stuck with goods produced in obsolete measurement units that nobody wants.
America’s problem is that it cannot function properly without the metric system! No country wastes children’s precious time on teaching two measurement languages in a world that speaks practically only one. Estimates of using obsolete units in America range from billions to over a trillion of wasted dollars annually. The often-used excuse it is too expensive to switch to metric does not hold water because only 3 countries on this globe seem unable to afford it. The self confessed richest nation on earth America and impoverished Liberia and Burma..

February 1, 2009 at 10:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )