I was recently at an event at my child's elementary school and I overheard parents talking about how hard it is for their children to convert to the metric sysyem. I remember my parents and teachers having the same conversations 45 years ago when I was in elementary school.
The school system (Dept. of Education and teachers unions) were insisting that we had to switch to the metric system right away or we were not going to fit in with the rest of the world. They appear to have gotten that right, thank God. But, for the most part the US has been holding it's own, at least until recently.
But then I remembered how I really learned the metric system and this recollection gave me hope that this administration may be able to actually do something meaningful in America.
I was stationed in Germany in the early 80's. Living there taught us in just a few hours what the school systems in America haven't been able to teach in 45 years.
Here it is. Ready?
1 liter is approximately 1 quart. We learned that by remembering that this is equal to 2 pint sized bottles of German beer.
1 ounce is 28 grams. A quarter ounce is 7 grams and an eightball is 3.5 grams. No complicated formulas, no conversion charts, just simple concepts used in everyday life.
Then it dawned on me. The administration in Washington and most of the leaders in the teachers unions probably use or used these very concepts everyday, possibly before they left home this morning. If nothing else, no matter whatever else happens to our country, we might finally be able to effectively use the metric system by November 2012.
Personally, I don't really care if we are using the metric system in 2012 or ever. I just believe that an administration and the people we have entrusted with our children's education should have more to offer them than that.
Looking at the people we elect and knowing what they believe in is important. Who do they answer to at the end of the day? Is it the people who they are to serve, us? Are they the interest groups making the donations to their campaigns? Do they even realize that mankind will not be their final judge?
Our founding fathers amazed the rest of the world, mainly Europe, with the bold experiment that was our nation and our constitution. They only noted one serious flaw with it. That was that this piece of paper could only hold our nation together if the people remember that, above all else, they and their government will be held accountable by a much higher power than fundraisers and re-elections.
Our founding fathers and all of the people who worked to make this country great knew that they would one day have to answer to God and their thoughts and deeds would be laid before them for review.
Please think about what legacy we are leaving our children before you vote. I would prefer that our legacy be that America is still the shining light on the hill. Not, that our kids can properly weigh out dimebags for the other kids in their class.
Also, please pray for what Glenn Beck is doing in Washington, DC this weekend. I wish that there were more mainstream Christian leaders joining him. Remember, our revolution started at the pulpits of the colonies. And then, best of all, it started getting organized in the taverns.
Let's get organized and have a wonderful weekend.
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