Daylights Saving Time

[♠SARKID♠]

Two questions on daylights savings time -

1) Why do we still have it?
2) Why can't we just get rid of it?  I GET SO CONFUSED!

[SSgt Rudin]

1) because people are afraid of change
2) because people are afraid of change

I say a revolt by not following it, I mean seriously what would they do if most of the country just didn't do it.

[mikeylikey]

^ They would screw with our TV channels and times!

[Eclipse]

Have a couple of kids and try getting them to go to bed when it is still daylight.   

[mikeylikey]

When I lived in Indiana, there was no Daylight Savings Time, no changing clocks twice a year.  We got along just fine with everyone else also!  However, I look forward to gaining an hour of immediate sunlight at the end of the day!  Doesn't everyone???

[SSgt Rudin]

When I lived in Indiana, there was no Daylight Savings Time, no changing clocks twice a year.  We got along just fine with everyone else also!  However, I look forward to gaining an hour of immediate sunlight at the end of the day!  Doesn't everyone???

OK new plan, we follow it this time but next time when we are supposed to move the clocks back an hour we just ignore it.

[mikeylikey]

I would not be surprised if we start next year by advancing the clocks 2 hours (for the fuel economy and all, right Bush?)

[Smokey]

Back in the 70's, during the energy crisis,.....they tried daylight savings all year long....folks complained it was dark out when they sent the kids to school and farmers didn't like it.

I am for it,  as during the summer if we didn't have it, sun up in my parts would be 0440....like I need sun at that time shining in on my sleeping head.  With daylight savings 0540 is still plenty early for that sun to "brighten" my day.

[SSgt Rudin]

Back in the 70's, during the energy crisis,.....they tried daylight savings all year long....folks complained it was dark out when they sent the kids to school and farmers didn't like it.

I am for it,  as during the summer if we didn't have it, sun up in my parts would be 0440....like I need sun at that time shining in on my sleeping head.  With daylight savings 0540 is still plenty early for that sun to "brighten" my day.

Like I said people are afraid of change, I remember walking to the bus stop while it was still dark out, and thats with day light savings. And yes it was uphill both ways in 45 feet of snow, or whatever.

[RiverAux]

I'm not sure there is a big group of people out there clamoring to keep DST because they're afraid of change. 

[bosshawk]

Most of you folks are not old enough to remember when Daylight Savings Time was instituted: I am.  It started in WWII, when it was adopted in order for the farmers to have more daylight to farm in: increased the hours of daylight for them to work on growing food.  It also has the additional benefit of reducing the darkness hours when most folks require more electricity and fuel to heat houses and cook.  Of course, it doesn't reduce the hours of darkness, just puts them in a different part of one's day.

The changing of the months when DST is in effect about two years ago was to try to save fuel, again.

Sorry if it inconvenienced you when you were going to school: sometimes, there are good and sufficient reasons to do things, even those done by politicians.

BTW: England had double daylight savings time during WWII, for all the same reasons as the US.

A little history lesson!!!!

[RiverAux]

check out the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time

Seems like the energy benefits are marginal at best if the entry is fairly accurate in its representations.  News to me. 

[cap801]

I would be cautious about trusting wikipedia for precise energy savings estimates...don't get me wrong, it's a great resource, but the fact that the author isn't held accountable for what he or she writes makes it not a reliable source of information, to me.

I don't know why people get in such a fuss about Daylight Savings time.  I personally love having the extra hours of daylight to get things accomplished, and I would propose that despite our shared despise towards politicians, if Congress collectively thought it was worth the investment (again), then I would venture to say it probably is.  I live 8 miles for another time zone and frequently travel into it, so time change doesn't bother me.

[♠SARKID♠]

See?  What did I tell you? - I'm up an hour earlier than I needed to be, and I'm not happy about it!  Grr.

[SSgt Rudin]

I would be cautious about trusting wikipedia for precise energy savings estimates...don't get me wrong, it's a great resource, but the fact that the author isn't held accountable for what he or she writes makes it not a reliable source of information, to me.

I don't know why people get in such a fuss about Daylight Savings time.  I personally love having the extra hours of daylight to get things accomplished, and I would propose that despite our shared despise towards politicians, if Congress collectively thought it was worth the investment (again), then I would venture to say it probably is.  I live 8 miles for another time zone and frequently travel into it, so time change doesn't bother me.

Well there is plenty of information here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0728_050728_daylight.html
http://www.energy.ca.gov/2007publications/CEC-200-2007-004/CEC-200-2007-004.PDF

Plus the 100 sources at the bottom of the Wikipedia article.

[Pylon]

It's not just Wikipedia. It's been well reported in the media before; DST doesn't really save any energy and may cause higher AM energy usage that negates any supposed savings.  As was stated above, people don't like change.  Indiana and places all over the world which don't observe any sort of DST get along just fine.  Their kids go to bed, their energy bills don't skyrocket, and the world still rotates.

[MIKE]

But if you got rid of DST then Marines wouldn't know when it is time to roll up/down their sleeves. 

[Major Carrales]

The change of the clock allows us to do more outdoor activities at the Corpus Christi meetings.  In Kingsville, where the meetings begin at 1600 hrs, this is never an issue.  However, later that evening in Corpus Christi, the sun has already set by the time we can do anything (ES, Drill, et cetra).  The time change will allow the first half of that meeting to begin in the day light!

[cap801]

I fail to understand why Congress would pass a measure to extend DST if there wasn't some sort of advantage to it.  Do you?

[afgeo4]

DST was invented to allow our farmers to be more productive. That is no longer the case since so much of our agriculture is automated. It just isn't worth it.