Indiana will now observe Eastern Daylight Savings Time. - effective April 2, 2006.

CNN ^

[JRochelle]

All those turncoat republicans need to be challenged next time in their primary. This was about the first time I was on the side of the democrats. Most of them were against the switch. I think this vote will cost them the house and the senate next year. Maybe even the govenor in 3 years.

[JRochelle]

My sentiments exactly. I will shed not tears if he is defeated next time.

[HostileTerritory]

A map of Indiana's current three-fold system for the curious:

http://www.timetemperature.com/tzus/indiana_time_zone.shtml

[SJSAMPLE]

I've lived with DST everywhere but Indiana, where I've lived for the past 10 years.
1. Conserving daylight is good.
2. Changing clocks isn't that difficult.

I suspect the VCR-skills-deficient people are responsible for Indiana's existance in the Dark Ages ;)

[xusafflyer]

DST is stupid, but since the other states are not going to get rid of it, we need to join it. And Central time is the worst thing for Indiana to do. 5 am sunrises in summer and 4 pm sunsets in winter are not business friendly.

[raisincane]

Hoosier family? Hoosier dog? Hoosier house? Way back in the early 1800's when newcomers came into Indian Country, the folks here always asked, "Hoosier?"

[discostu]

You can't conserve daylight, all you do is change what the clock says during daylight.
Changing the clocks to accomplish nothing is stupid.

[mysterio]

Between DST, raising cigarette taxes, and the little tax on the rich thing, the Republican party is no longer the lesser of two evils. In my mind, they are on equal ground with the dems now, both equally worthless.

I enjoyed being able to leave my clock alone and not have to do the DST madness that the rest of the country subscribes to. But every policy that comes out of the republicans mouths here I disagree with lately. Here's hoping Mitch is a one term governor.

[mysterio]

I will be actively voting against anyone who supported this crap. They have tried and tried to force it on us for the past 30 years, and Hoosiers don't want it. I would like to see them recalled over this.

[Fester Chugabrew]

You're not the only hoosier who thinks it's ludicrous to monkey with the clock. I'm one of those "set it and forget it" types. Always appreciated how I was not faced with a jarring hour gain or loss twice a year.

Besides, one of my passtimes is too sit up at night and watch coupons expire. Now the value of those coupons will increase or decrease by an hours' time on either side of the time change.

[newgeezer]

What is the purpose of daylight savings time today?

It seems to me the purpose is to shift an hour of daylight from the early AM (before work, when most of us are sleeping) to the evening (after work, when we're awake), thus "saving" it so it can be better spent.

Another benefit is energy savings. Instead of sleeping through that hour of daylight in the early morning, moving it to the evening means we have the lights on an hour less in our homes, at the ballparks, etc.

I enjoy DST very much, and was very glad to hear it's extended by two months in the Energy Bill. Those who prefer darkness -- e.g. criminals, vampires, and ladies of the evening -- might have a different opinion.

[mysterio]

I prefer no messing with the clocks, and I also prefer night right where it is naturally. And I fit into none of the categories that you descibe. We don't need a statist solution to this non problem. Indiana was one of the few remaining bastions of sanity on this issue.

[woundedcougar]

A long time ago, when there weren't many settlers here in the state of Indiana, you never had really close neighbors. But if someone wanted to know who you were or where you came from, they would ask: "Who's your neighbor?" This later got shortened to just 'hoosier'; similarly, to 'hoos yer' neighbor. Just wanted to share that. Thanks.
woundedcougar

[Tenacious 1]

I thought I was going crazy. You are way behind. This thread is from this past spring. Of course, as I write this, it occurs to me you may be reasearching this issue.

I do thank you for the post. I got to reread a prediction I made. I predicted the debacle we are now in (way before the vote). Counties are petitioning to be in different time zones now that we are covered by state law.

My new name will be Nostrodamus.

[stboz]

Instead of sleeping through that hour of daylight in the early morning, moving it to the evening means we have the lights on an hour less in our homes, at the ballparks, etc.

Do you sleep with the lights on? I don't!

Mucking forons in the fed gov.

[newgeezer]

Do you sleep with the lights on? I don't!

That's precisely the point. People do need light while they're awake and not while they're sleeping.

Mucking forons in the fed gov.

I gather that means you think Daylight Saving Time (DST) is stupid. So, I'll try to explain it a different way...

As you so cleverly pointed out, we don't need light while we're sleeping. But, without DST in the middle of the summer, most of us (farmers being a notable exception) would be sleeping during that first hour of daylight from 4:30 (sunrise) to 5:30 AM. (All times are approximate.)

To avoid wasting that first hour of daylight, we move our clocks ahead for DST. That causes the daylight period to occur one hour later in the day; instead of the sun rising at 4:30 AM and setting at 7:30 PM, it rises at 5:30 AM and sets at 8:30 PM.

So, thanks to DST, we turn our lights on around 8:30 PM instead of 7:30 PM. Since we turn off the lights at bedtime and assuming bedtime is the same with or without DST (e.g. 11 PM for me), our lights are on an hour less in the evening due to DST.

The point is to make better use of the available daylight. By shifting the daylight an hour later, we "save" that hour of daylight from the early morning (while sleeping) to spend it in the evening (while awake).

I trust we can now count you among the enlightened as to how DST makes sense.