Metrication,
The greatest hoax ever perpetrated on Canada…

(this article was written some time ago, so prices have inflated considerably)

It is about time that the Canadian public woke up to the real reason for metrication. Before it is too late for your pocket book!

 I happen to be old enough to remember the days of 30 cent a gallon gasoline. I also remember being sent to the store by my parents with a quarter to buy milk or bread and being told I could keep the change for candy.

Then, do we remember the day gasoline broke a dollar a gallon and all the prices at the pump had to be doubled? Remember "Joe Who?", the 9 month wonder PM who was defeated over gas price increases?

Suddenly we were being introduced to the new Metric System (and NAFTA). Canada, and the United States were going to get into step with the rest of the world. Speed limits were going to be in Kilometers, weights were going to be in Grams, and temperature in Celcius . Not Centrigrade, a system some of us actually learned in school. Same thing, but they just could not leave a known name existant.

So, just what does this all mean to us as Canadians? If you never travel, probably nothing. But, if you do see any of the world you will realize that we are not all part of the big unified plan! The US never implimented one thing metric. Why did we? Because simply that was the start of the hoax!

 Well, first of all you have to get a bit of a grasp on economics. It is written into the book they all follow that an organization that does not show significant profit increases every year is a failure. So, every year the envelope is pushed a little more to squeeze more profit. But, wake up! Our economy is a closed system. If you take out from one part, it has to be put back in somewhere else. Very simply, where do the profits come from in this increasing spiral? Simple, those on fixed incomes lose. That is folks on fixed pensions, welfare, disabled and anyone not actively participating in the work force.

 Inflation is out of hand. What caused the crash of the stock market? The fact that there were more paper assets in circulation than there was real cash to back it up. No credit cards in those days, but there was a credit system. People were in the stock market on "margin". Simply, money that did not exist was being circulated. When the banks asked to be paid up the economoy crashed. Ask yourself, where is the money that backs up all the credit cards out there. Someone got paid hard cash to make or sell you the product, did you fork out any dollars? If the banks called all the credit cards today we would have a bigger crash than you would believe. Can you give the banks cash to cover your credit card debts today? But this will never happen as long as you keep paying the huge interest to the credit companies that fuels the profit spiral. The banks profits are soaring. Following the question of economics, where are those profits coming from?

 OK, what has that got to do with Metrication. Quite simply, 67 cents a liter for gasoline does not sound like much does it? Well wake up and smell the coffee. That is over 3 bucks a gallon. Gas goes up 2 cents a liter. Not much? Do the math. One imperial gallon is 4.55 liters. Lets assume you buy 10 liters of gas, that is pretty close to 2 gallons. Buy 10 liters of gas for 55 cents you are getting aprox. 2 gallons for 5.50 cents (About 2.75 per gallon) Bump that price to 60 cents a liter, you now get aprox. 2 gallons for 6 bucks, or 3 dollars a gallon. Now just increase that one cent a liter. Here is a little chart
 
 

Simply put, every time the gas goes up one simple cent a liter that is 5 cents per Canadian Gallon. Even more in a US gallon as it is smaller. Isn't metric wonderful!

 Now about your grocery shopping. Here we are not getting hosed so much on the price as the size. When was the last time you tried to feed a family on a can of soup or a tin of beans. Is your family eating more, or what. As they say, wake up and smell the coffee!

 Here is a little lesson in cross border shopping. All due to the "Magic of metric". Two cans of beans.
The one on the right seems to be larger. It comes from my local Safeway store. What it cost is not part of the story. The other comes from a Safeway in the US. Lets look at the lable on the can…

 

Now lets put the lable on the small can and the lable on the larger can together and compare size (smaller can on the left).
Amazing, but the smaller can actually holds more.... Now some economist is going to come along and point out one can seems to be sold by weight, the other by quantity. All I know is when I open the US can it was full to the top, the lid floated right there. The Canadian can had over a half inch (sorry 1.27CM) of air in the top of it.  Some jerk pointed out that one was measuring volume, the other one weight.  Well, all I know is the so called bigger can's contents fit into the smaller one.  Go figure! So to prove the point I put them both in a measuring cup. A full ounce more in the smaller can!

 Now, as I say, the "Magic of Metric"

 

The above rantings are by Tom Wagner, the Travelling Writer. You are welcome to copy or link to this page, providing it is done in whole, and unaltered. If you want to see more of my madness go to my website .