~misfit~ wrote on 9/16/2017 8:49 PM:
Once upon a time on usenet rickman wrote:
~misfit~ wrote on 9/13/2017 9:26 AM:
Once upon a time on usenet rickman wrote:
~misfit~ wrote on 9/9/2017 2:52 AM:
Once upon a time on usenet rickman wrote:
~misfit~ wrote on 9/7/2017 7:26 AM:
Once upon a time on usenet Tom Biasi wrote:
Here is a cut from a Wiki article of which seems to be my
experience also.
"The U.S. Metric Study recommended that the United States
implement a carefully planned transition to the principal use of
the metric system over a decade. Congress passed the Metric
Conversion Act of 1975 "to coordinate and plan the increasing
use of the metric system in the United States". Voluntary
conversion was initiated, and the United States Metric Board
(USMB) was established for planning, coordination, and public
education. The public education component led to public
awareness of the metric system, but the public response
included resistance, apathy, and sometimes ridicule."
"Voluntary conversion" is doomed to failure due to inertia so
it's a failure of the legislators not the public. It should have
been made compulsory as it was in most other countries which
changed over.
This country can be pretty idiotic about "compulsory" issues. The
federal government has a regulation that children must wear life
vests in federally controlled waters. The State of Virginia has a
similar law, but it only applies to the waterways that are
regulated by the Coast Guard (federal laws). So the law is no
additional regulation, it simply allows the state authorities to
enforce it. Meanwhile it is perfectly legal in the state
controlled waters to not put a life vest on your children. Allegedly
this is because the legislators get tremendous push
back when they pass laws that add new regulations.
How fooking stupid is that?! *Everyone* should have to wear a
life vest any time they are in a boat underway. Just this past
July 4th weekend someone died when he fell overboard while not
wearing a life vest. They do nothing for you if you don't wear
them. Cutting a tree down with your six year old next to you
would be considered child endangerment even though there is no
specific law against it. By the same reasoning allowing children
to ride in a boat without a life vest should be child
endangerment regardless of the law. But we legislate according
to the push back from fears of "over regulation".
Very fooking stupid. 
Are seat belts compulsory yet? It seems an
odd mix.
Of course seat belts are compulsory. Where do you live that they
aren't?
I didn't say they aren't here, I remember that not long ago they
weren't in the US. Are they compulsory in the back seats too?
http://bfy.tw/DuT3
So that's a no then. How backwards. They've been compulsory here for quite a
while with no silly age restriction complications (as well as children
needing to be in approved 'car seat' survival cells to a certain age).
(BTW if you were smart you'd be a smart arse. You should have included 'rear
seats' in the search parameters. I'll go back to my policy of not clicking
obfuscated URLs - which for some odd reason I didn't think would be needed
here.)
Not sure what you are reading. Traffic laws are state issues in the US
although there is a certain amount of "coordination" by the Federal
government. I don't know of any states which doesn't require seat belts to
be worn by everyone in a vehicle. I'm not familiar with *all* of the 50
states. What did you find that says otherwise?
--
Rick C
Viewed the eclipse at Wintercrest Farms,
on the centerline of totality since 1998