We The People are burdened with some bizarre systems.
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Weights and Measures
US "customary" weights and measures are nonsensical. Worldwide, we share this system with only Liberia.
I propose converting to a sensible weights and measures system.
1 Kilometer = 1000 Meters (Kilo means 1000)
1 Meter = 100 Centimeters (Centi means 100)
1 Meter = 1000 Millimeters (Milli means 1000)
and likewise for:
Kilogram, Grams, Milligrams
Kiloliter, Liter, Milliliter
And,
1 Hectare = 10000 Sq. Meters
100º Celsius = boiling
0º Celsius = freezing
Could there be a more intuitive system of measure? We could call it the "Metric System".
But no ... let's have:
1 Mile = 5280 Feet
1 Yard = 3 Feet
1 Foot = 12 Inches
1 Ton = 2000 Pounds (logically abbreviated lb)
1 Pound = 16 Ounces (Avoirdupois not Troy)
and to further confuse you
1 Gallon (not Imperial gallon) = 4 Quarts
1 Quart = 2 Pints
1 Pint = 2 Cups (we're in liquid ounce territory now)
1 Cup = 8 ounces
1 Tablespoon = 3 Teaspoons
2 Tablespoons = 1fluid ounce
1 Acre = 1/640th of a Square Mile = 43560 Sq. Feet
Fahrenheit: boiling 212°, freezing 32°
And throw in .. Long Tons, Troy ounce, Furlongs, Rods, Knots, Fathoms, Barrels, Hogsheads, Dog Years, Shot, Hand, Board Feet...
Actually, we are stuck with 2 systems. The American scientific community has long ago converted to metric, a system 95% of the world uses - but the we who use the "Customary" system - all 2 of us - argue the Metric System is it is too hard!
And throw in .. Long Tons, Troy ounce, Furlongs, Rods, Knots, Fathoms, Barrels, Hogsheads, Dog Years, Shot, Hand, Board Feet...
Actually, we are stuck with 2 systems. The American scientific community has long ago converted to metric, a system 95% of the world uses - but the we who use the "Customary" system - all 2 of us - argue the Metric System is it is too hard!
Go figure.
We claim a democracy in the USA. We are, however, technically, a republic, at least for awhile yet - where we elect representatives who pass laws and vote on our behalf, occasionally.
We claim 1 person/1 vote, but ... in presidential elections, each state selects electors and they cast the votes for president, 538 of them, 1 for each member of congress plus 3 from DC. So 270 votes wins the presidential election.
For example, Minnesota, having 8 representatives and 2 senators, gets 10 electoral votes. North Dakota gets 3, 1 representative and 2 senators. Minnesota has roughly 6 million people which works out to 1 electoral vote per 600,000 residents. North Dakota has 800,000 people which translates to 1 electoral vote per 267,000 residents. And a further extreme .. California has 40 million people with 54 electoral votes which maps to 1 electoral vote per 740,000 residents.
Clearly we do not have an equal representation system. A presidential candidate could win the election being outvoted by 7 million popular votes by eking out wins in a few states. e.g. narrowly win the Texas and Florida popular vote and receive 70 electoral votes while losing California by 5 million votes. Five times in history, presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College.
Usurpers: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W. Bush, Donald Trump.
Shoulda Beens: Andrew Jackson, Samuel Tilden, Grover Cleveland, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton.
What is the rationale for such a ridiculous system?
As in many mediocre solutions this one was a compromise. Our Founding Fathers could not countenance the rabble determining who would be president and preferred that Congress select the President, so opposed a popular vote system. The Congressional faction favoring the popular vote could not countenance the cronyism of selecting one of their own for the job.
So the “Electoral College” was born, a slate of “electors” appointed by each state to cast the presidential votes. The number of votes each state would be determined by population which translates to congressional districts. And here another abominable compromise came into play. Southern states lobbied for slaves to be counted toward the population total and eventually they were compromised down to 3/5ths of a person. So the Electoral College was instrumental in the persistence of slavery. Since almost all states require electors to vote for the person winning the popular vote in the state (Maine & Nebraska tally electoral votes by Congressional district), the main effect of the system is to dilute the vote of large population states and enhance the vote small population states.
In 1889-1890 the admission of small population western states was largely driven by the number of electoral votes they could deliver to the Republicans. North & South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington, each delivering 3 electoral votes with 6 states added to the Union in a single year. In response, Democrats lobbied to include Arizona and New Mexico which didn’t happen for another 20 years.
At the time, The Boston Globe pointed out that the Idaho & Wyoming together had a population of “a fair sized congressional district in Massachusetts” but would be represented in Congress by four senators and two representatives.
And the push continues to this day with factions lobbying for Washington DC and Puerto Rico statehood. And some would include Canada and Greenland in the wishlist.
Too often the electoral college results have denied the will of the majority. It's overdue for removal.
The US tax code is roughly 7000 pages, 5x War & Peace. Clearly not something mere mortals can comprehend. There are over 15 major schedules and more than 100 different forms, schedules, and worksheets that can be associated with the IRS Form 1040. So those who have any complexity in their financial life i.e have any income beyond wages, have dependents, itemized deductions, business or rental income, sold real estate etc. - will generally hire an accountant or use tax preparation software like TurboTax to do their tax filing. It is a system where errors - intended or inadvertent - are rampant. And when you make them, you are punished with penalties.
Of course, the very rich have workarounds, masters at tax avoidance with the best lawyers and accountants money can buy. They don't do W-2's as their income is generally not wages. They pay tax at a lower rate because they leverage favorable rates on investment income (capital gains) and numerous loopholes e.g. real estate , oil businesses, sports teams, private jets ... surprised? It is true - the rich are not like the rest of us.
It shouldn't be this complicated.
In some countries, e.g. Sweden, Norway, Finland, the government calculates taxes and citizens receive a statement each spring with a summary of income, deductions, wealth and debt. Tax filing thus consists of verifying a pre-filled tax return. In some countries e.g France, all filings are made online.
It used to be leaving a tip was optional and indicated appreciation for service well done. The days of the jar next to the cash register are over. Tipping is now in your face with an app shaming you into an 18-30% tip. Most every point-of-sale transaction now presents you with a very public tipping app with the person behind you tsk'ing as you choose 10%. In Europe servizio incluso is often the rule so there's no need to struggle over how much to tip. I'm in favor.
BTW - How much do you tip your plumber?
15 Love, 30 Love, 40 Love - apparently stemming from the quarter hours on a clock but why 40 instead of 45? God only knows [GOK for short, a useful bookkeeping entry]. And then there’s deuce? How is it that deuce means tie score? So the scoring is weird compounded by equating "Love" with zero - just seems wrong. The goal to win the game at love should not be a tennis thing.
Just no. What's wrong with 4-0?
I have written several posts on the strange, quirky English language (Word Nerd, Strangelish, Bloody Marvelous English Language, An Ostentation of Peacocks, Apologies Mr Paulson) so I will leave it at that on the ridiculous impossibly marvelously complex English language.
And who decided we should use Arabic numerals?
Copyright © 2026 Dave Hoplin
