follow every other country in the world and adopt the metric system of measuring.

In 1968, Congress authorized the U.S. Metric Study, a three-year study of systems of measurement in the U.S., with emphasis on the feasibility of metrication. The study found that metric units were already implemented in many areas and that its use was increasing. The majority of study participants believed that conversion to the metric system was in the best interests of the U.S., particularly in view of the importance of foreign trade and the increasing influence of technology in the U.S.
That was 46 years ago the US is still on the standard system while the rest of the world is now on the metric system.
Metric vs Standard Infographic: http://goo.gl/UFUy2K