Slashdot Mirror
Will Montana Become America's Third State To Ditch Daylight Savings Time? (missoulian.com)
"Okay...twice every year Slashdot disses Daylight savings time," writes turkeydance, bringing a story from Montana, where lawmakers are proposing that the state should stop setting their clocks forward by one hour every spring.
Similar legislation in several past sessions...failed to advance even out of committee. But SB206 passed committee unanimously and once on the floor, more than twice as many senators voted for it as against it. Now the House will take up SB206 during the session's second half, and likely with a renewed focus on the history of daylight saving time and what it would mean for Montana to become only the third state in the country not to observe it.
Daylight savings time has been opposed by a grassroots group of Montana farmers and ranchers, who have to sync their work schedule to the sun rather than the time on the clock, but similar legislation has also been introduced in Texas, California, Iowa, New Mexico, Michigan, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington. Daylight savings time was originally introduced as an energy-saving measure during World Wars I and II, and returned during the 1970s energy crisis. There's just one problem, reports Live Science. "No one really knows whether daylight saving time saves energy at all. Research is decidedly mixed on the subject, with some studies actually finding that daylight saving time boosts energy consumption."
Daylight savings time has been opposed by a grassroots group of Montana farmers and ranchers, who have to sync their work schedule to the sun rather than the time on the clock, but similar legislation has also been introduced in Texas, California, Iowa, New Mexico, Michigan, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington. Daylight savings time was originally introduced as an energy-saving measure during World Wars I and II, and returned during the 1970s energy crisis. There's just one problem, reports Live Science. "No one really knows whether daylight saving time saves energy at all. Research is decidedly mixed on the subject, with some studies actually finding that daylight saving time boosts energy consumption."
daylight saving time
All that matters is we get some extra daylight after work during the warm time of year so we can enjoy it. Is it a little darker in the morning that first month? Small price to pay. To alleviate the supposed "stress" of the one hour change, do it on Sat. instead of Sun. But honestly, are people dropping dead flying across a one hour time zone change?
This twice annual ritual of suggesting we get rid of Daylight Saving Time is more annoying that actually changing the clocks.
Daylight Savings Time is good. We need to stop turning it off in the winter.
We know that Daylight Savings wastes energy. Daylight Savings exists, because US Senators took note of how they were able to play more golf when Daylight Savings existed, and so re-established it to avoid spending time with their wives.
The Indiana exception isn't about DST but that some parts are on Central rather than Eastern time. As somebody who lives about 15 minutes from that border, it's pretty aggravating and causes way too many problems for us but we still forget and assume everyone is the same time we are.
-- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
>"Okay...twice every year Slashdot disses Daylight savings time,
Most people on Slashdot are not dissing Daylight Savings Time. That isn't the issue. The issue is CHANGING TIME TWICE A YEAR. Just put it on DST and leave it there permanently!
Just get up earlier. You don't need the state to tell you to do so.