Sun might be setting on Daylight Saving Time

Still upset about Daylight Saving Time? You are not alone.  

In the past year, 14 state legislatures have debated ending DST in their states, according to a report on CNN.com.  

Last Sunday we went through the annual ritual of setting our clocks back. We fall back in the autumn and spring forward, well, in the spring.  

Until a few years ago Indiana was among the states that did not move their clocks for daylight saving time. Then we decided to get with the times — pun intended — and change our clocks twice a year. We were among the last to come to that party and we will probably be among the last to leave when many other states drop DST.  

One of the reasons given us to switch to DST was business.  

“We never know what time it is in Indiana,” business people in other states were supposedly saying.  

The TV show, “The West Wing” had a story line in which the make believe President was campaigning in Indiana one day. Two of his people became separated from the the entourage and had a terrible time getting out of Indiana and back to Washington because supposedly no one could remember what time it was in Indiana.  

So, our governor and the General Assembly in their infinite wisdom decided we would go on DST.  

I confess, I supported the move at the time but I was wrong and we were wrong to go on DST.  

The only business benefit seems to come to business owners who claim DST gives an extra hour of daylight to boost sales to shoppers who prefer not to go out after dark, according to a National Geographic reporter.  

While most Republicans seem to support business owners’ desires, CNN reported that in the 14 states that debated leaving DST this year, Republican legislators departed from the desires of business owners..  

There is also evidence that DST, depriving the body of an hour of sleep in the spring, wreaks havoc on your health and you may be more likely to have a car crash immediately after DST springs into effect.  

Another reason given to support DST is that it saves energy. Not true, according to the CNN report.  

“A 2008 U.S. Department of Energy study reported Daylight Saving Time reduces annual energy use by about 0.03%,” CNN reports. “And a study that same year from the University of California-Santa Barbara found it might even increase energy consumption.” 

A humorous observation about DST: The first year we went on DST, at least one family we heard about said they missed church services because a newspaper published the wrong date for the time change.  

Even with DST, apparently we still don’t always know what time it is.