New date to spring ahead

[Snowguy716]

Congress passed legislation two years ago to extend daylight savings time forward 3 weeks to March 11th and push it a week back in the fall. The idea behind this was to "save energy." There's a problem with that:

On March 11th, rather than getting up with the sun up, when it rises around 6:45am, it will not rise until 7:45am. People will be going to work in the dark when that would not happen with the spring ahead. So, rather than letting the sunlight light their house, they'll be turning on lights, the heaters will be working harder to keep people warmer while they get ready for school/work, and they'll be using headlights on the road.

Sure, the sun being up until nearly 7pm will be nice and may help some shake off the winter blues, but I just don't think that this will have any benefit on Americans. Especially since the new change is expected to wreak havoc on the airline industry and many computer users who have preset "spring ahead" dates.

Originally, congress had called to extend DST 3 weeks into November, but they scaled that back when members from northern states complained that the sun wouldn't rise until 9am at the end of the DST period, hardly saving people energy as everyone would go to school and work in the dark.

It's hard to live here in the winter, even at the relatively southerly latitude of 47*N, but as it is we only get 8-9 hours of sunlight in December with the sun rising at 8am and setting around 4:30pm... but it is well worth it, when in June, you see light on the horizon around 4am and it's not completely dark until 10:30-11pm.

[dtown]

Heh, well it will suck getting up when its dark out even longer(i have been since, i think, late November). But, as you said, bring on that 9:30-10:00 light this summer.

[monsoon]

Congress and the president has finagled with the dates since they first came up with the idea of daylight savings time. During the first energy crisis in the 1970s, Nixon put the country on permanent DST for about 18 months, but they ended the practice after protests. It was too dark in the mornings in the dead of winter and a number of school kids got hit by cars and buses while going to school in the dark. They then went to about 6 months on 6 months off but have shortened the on part serveral times to what we have now.

[cityboi]

I think the whole thing is rediculous and doesnt apply to the 21st century the way it has in the past. They should just spring it forward and leave it there permantly. Id rather for it to reman forward so when winter comes around, it wont be dark at 5:30 pm. I hate that it when it gets dark that early.

some states and territories dont recognize it and it doesnt change at all

Hawaii

American Samoa

Guam

Puerto Rico

the Virgin Islands

Arizona

[rnc]

I think the whole thing is rediculous and doesnt apply to the 21st century the way it has in the past. They should just spring it forward and leave it there permantly. Id rather for it to reman forward so when winter comes around, it wont be dark at 5:30 pm. I hate that it when it gets dark that early.

some states and territories dont recognize it and it doesnt change at all

Hawaii

American Samoa

Guam

Puerto Rico

the Virgin Islands

Arizona

[JDC]

I'd be all for keeping Daylight Savings Time all year. Especially since many schools are starting later these days already. I see kids getting dropped off at the high school across from my building around 8:45 each morning when I'm taking the dog out. When I was in high school, we had to be in our homerooms by 7:30!

I'd bet it has more to do with students falling asleep in first period though. But really, it's a win-win. It's lighter out longer, kids are awake in class, and not going to school in the dark, and we may even save some energy.

[torgo]

It seems like Congress should be thinking a little harder about sustainable ways to reduce energy use other than screwing with the clocks. Ahh, our tax dollars hard at work...

[dtown]

I'd be all for keeping Daylight Savings Time all year. Especially since many schools are starting later these days already. I see kids getting dropped off at the high school across from my building around 8:45 each morning when I'm taking the dog out. When I was in high school, we had to be in our homerooms by 7:30!

I'd bet it has more to do with students falling asleep in first period though. But really, it's a win-win. It's lighter out longer, kids are awake in class, and not going to school in the dark, and we may even save some energy.

[dgreco]

Aren't they trying to remove daylight savings time all together? and didn't they do that at another point in history?

[Choirboy622]

There are a number of good websites that discuss Daylight Saving Time. I am all for DST in general, however I do think it's a little too early to be starting it. States that are at the far west end of their respective time zones are likely to have sunrise after or slightly before 8:00, starting the 11th of March. This late sunrise won't last near as long as it does in January, of course. But it's still a pain. But I'd rather have this than an early sunset in the winter like the states that are at the far eastern end of their respective time zones.

Some might suggest doing away with DST altogether. This simply is not practical. Not only does Europe and most of the rest of the northern hemisphere go on DST (Summer Time), but the southern hemisphere does it during the winter time of the north.

Although there are a few stalwarts in Indiana who poo-poo DST, most of the people have found they like it, and on Eastern Time, no less. In spite of their claims about the time zones, etc., some of the stalwarts there who poo-poo it just want Indiana to be different than the rest of the country. I like Eastern DST, because I like the late sunset in the summer.

If I were the "Great Decider", as the current occupant of the White House likes to call himself, I would push for a start day of either the third Sunday (as in Europe) or the fourth Sunday in March. But I would push for the end time to late in the evening (11:00?) on the 31st of October, so the kids could do their Halloween activities, and then get an extra hour of sleep before going to school the next day.