by: Paul Armstrong Currently, the stimulus package is being reconciled by a committee appointed from the House and Senate. This committee is made up of 10 members and in order to get metric into the package we need to contact them before the bill is reintroduced into the house. The best way to do this is a personal phone call followed by a fax or email. Please do this as soon as you can and pass this note on to your friends and family.

Here's the contact details:

House:
David Obey (D-WI)
Phone: +1 (202) 225-3365
Web Form: http://www.obey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=637&...

Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Phone: +1 (202) 225-4365
Fax: +1 (202) 225-0816
Web Form(*): http://www.house.gov/rangel/contact.shtml

Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Phone: +1 (202) 225-3976
Fax: +1 (202) 225-4099
Web Form(*): http://www.henrywaxman.house.gov/contact.htm

Dave Camp (R-MI)
Phone: +1 (202) 225-3561
Fax: +1 (202) 225-9679
Web Form(*): http://camp.house.gov/WriteRep.aspx

Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Phone: +1 (202) 225-5861
Fax: +1 (202) 225-6498
Web Form: http://www.house.gov/jerrylewis/IMA/WritetoRepresentativeLewis.htm

Senate:

Harry Reid (D-NV)
Phone: +1 (202) 224-3542
Fax: +1 (202) 224-7327
Web Form: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Max Baucus (D-MT)
Phone: +1 (202) 224-2651
Fax: +1 (202) 224-9412
Web Form: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue

Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Phone: +1 (202) 224-3934
Fax: +1 (202) 224-6747
Web Form: http://inouye.senate.gov/abtform.html

Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Phone: +1 (202) 224-5054
Web Form: http://cochran.senate.gov/contact.htm

Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Phone: +1 (202) 224-3744
Web Form: http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm

A * indicates email is only accepted if you live in the district

Talking points:
* Moving to metric would provide a solid stimulus for the economy and get rid
of the dual measurement drag for the future.
* We can improve exports if we use the measurement system everyone else expects
(and there are many countries, of which the number is increasing, that forbid
non-metric measurements for labeling and sometimes entirely).
* Education has enough issues without having to deal with multiple measurement
systems.
* We can no longer afford to waste money just to be different. Examples include
$360 million on a mars probe which crashed because of a measurement mix up,
$25,000 on carbon credits for congress because they attempted to purchase
in customary tons instead of the global market standard of metric tonnes.

Requests:
* Require that new infrastructure built with the stimulus package is done
exclusively using metric measures
* An joint industry/government board be setup to oversee the conversion to
metric
* That we have a solid plan by the end of the year that specifies how we will
be 95% metric within 5 years and 100% metric in 10 years.
* Government departments that have had a plan to fo metric in the past
implement that plan within 2 years if they have not done so already.
Departments that have flipped between the two systems must be fully metric by
the end of 2010.
* Education requirements be changed to teach metric exclusively. Get rid of the
requirement to teach customary units.

Calls for metrication in the news:
* http://cjcs.com/tib/2469/president-obama-give-us-a-yard-and-well-take-a-...
* http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2009/jan/31/convert_and_be_saved/