Why doesn't America go metric like the rest of the world?

Answer 1

It is truly a cost question. There is no doubt we want to do it and it's a better system. Problem is, the President and the Congress that are "on watch" during the transition will risk huge costs to implement it and potential for widespread confusion, lower productivity and backlash from the general population.

What it takes is a 10 to 20 year plan to slowly transition over time, coming from the President on down. A bit like Kennedy's call to put a man on the moon by 1970, we need a similar edict on this from President Bush. The plans already do exist and, as noted already, some government agencies and private companies have already begun. But, until they ALL are required to do it by a certain point in time (ala the Digital and High Definitiion standards for Television broadcasts), no one is going to be willing to risk short term competitiveness for the potential of long term advantage.

Answer 2

The answer is actually pretty simple and not something that anyone has mentioned. The structure for all measurements in the U.S. is set by the Bureau of Weights and Measures. This is the organization that is behind calibrated postal and produce scales. This organization is behind the accurancy of gasoline pumps and the guaranteed weights of canned goods and the volume of liquid products.

If the U.S government instructed to Bureau of Weights and Measures to be begin a metric transition program things would change. Gas pumps would display liters and gallons both just as speedometers now show both miles and kilometers per hour. Most scales are also capable of reading in both grams or ounces and kilograms or pounds. Most cans and bottles also show ml as well as liquid ounces. That is all it would take. They used to show commercials on tv to familiarize people with metrics but somewhere along the way the government dropped the issue. This is not related to personal preference or arogance as the standard is set by the BWM. Why the government stopped pushing the issue of metrics is a good question.

Answer 3

Who said being like the rest of the world is better. This country was built on being "different" and special. You think countries that use the metric system is better. Go live there!

Answer 4

Because we are hard-headed and stubborn.

Actually, there has been a rumor at least since I was in school (many years ago), that we were going to begin using the metric system and all of us had to learn how to use it in school. Problem, American public schools only teach students how to memorize facts for tests and not how to use the information in the real world. So, when we get out of school, we forget those memorized facts and never use them in the real world, thus we are stuck with the English system.

Answer 5

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/usmetric.html

"In 1988, Congress passed the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act, which designates 'the metric system of measurement as the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce.' Among many other things, the act requires federal agencies to use metric measurements in nearly all of their activities, although there are still exceptions allowing traditional units to be used in documents intended for consumers. The real purpose of the act was to improve the competitiveness of American industry in international markets by encouraging industries to design, produce, and sell products in metric units.

"The debate over metric conversion continues. Although metric units have become more familiar and more widely used, the United States remains a "soft metric" country. (The phrase "soft metric" refers to designations like "1 pint (473 mL)" in which metric equivalents are simply tagged onto traditional measurements.)"

Answer 6

Isn't going metric? I don't see the British system being taught in high school or college.

Answer 7

Because if America was like the rest of the world it would suck too. So we are simply put "BETTER" than the rest of you turds.

Answer 8

Metric is boring.

Answer 9

Purely pride!
But it costs America as well. For example, one of the NASA project that failed and exploded simply because of this stupid non-standardized unit system.

Answer 10

because every person in america doesn't want to learn a new measuring system and spend lots of money on changing cars, signs, and textbooks