July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Put end to daylight savings
Letters to the Editor
To the editor:
As we near another unfortunate point where we are forced to change our clocks, disrupt our schedules, put our children at risk and otherwise readapt to the biennial time change, I think it is a good time to evaluate this archaic practice and reflect on some of the factors that make Daylight Saving Time (DST) such a bad idea.
Studies have consistently shown that DST puts our children at unnecessary risk. They face approximately three times as many dark mornings going to school as without DST. They are forced to run the gauntlet of sleep deprived commuters and bus drivers as well as contending with their own tiredness upon reaching the classroom.
Every promise made to us regarding the adoption of DST has proven wrong. The additional weeks of DST in the spring and fall were added to preserve resources. A University of California study has shown that the extension actually uses MORE energy. Rather than reaping economic gains, Indiana has experienced one of the worst periods of recession in 80 years.
Americans live very different lives today than we did during the war years when DST was first instituted. Today, most homes have central heating and central air and we use large amounts of electricity even when we aren’t at home through numerous electronic devices that weren’t around in the old days. During World Wars I and II, people worked in factories for 10 to 12 hours a day. The shift in daylight time helped get to and from work and perform outdoor tasks. Luckily these conditions are no longer a factor in our daily lives.
There is hope on the horizon, though. Thousands of people across the state and country are fed up with the practice of reorienting their lives because the calendar (and government) tells them to. If the benefits of DST just aren’t there, what is stopping us from turning back the clock on this ridiculous practice? I urge all concerned residents to contact their representatives in Washington, DC and the state capital and ask that lawmakers to end DST.
Yours truly,
Steven Owens
Communications Director
www.EndDST.info
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As we near another unfortunate point where we are forced to change our clocks, disrupt our schedules, put our children at risk and otherwise readapt to the biennial time change, I think it is a good time to evaluate this archaic practice and reflect on some of the factors that make Daylight Saving Time (DST) such a bad idea.
Studies have consistently shown that DST puts our children at unnecessary risk. They face approximately three times as many dark mornings going to school as without DST. They are forced to run the gauntlet of sleep deprived commuters and bus drivers as well as contending with their own tiredness upon reaching the classroom.
Every promise made to us regarding the adoption of DST has proven wrong. The additional weeks of DST in the spring and fall were added to preserve resources. A University of California study has shown that the extension actually uses MORE energy. Rather than reaping economic gains, Indiana has experienced one of the worst periods of recession in 80 years.
Americans live very different lives today than we did during the war years when DST was first instituted. Today, most homes have central heating and central air and we use large amounts of electricity even when we aren’t at home through numerous electronic devices that weren’t around in the old days. During World Wars I and II, people worked in factories for 10 to 12 hours a day. The shift in daylight time helped get to and from work and perform outdoor tasks. Luckily these conditions are no longer a factor in our daily lives.
There is hope on the horizon, though. Thousands of people across the state and country are fed up with the practice of reorienting their lives because the calendar (and government) tells them to. If the benefits of DST just aren’t there, what is stopping us from turning back the clock on this ridiculous practice? I urge all concerned residents to contact their representatives in Washington, DC and the state capital and ask that lawmakers to end DST.
Yours truly,
Steven Owens
Communications Director
www.EndDST.info
Cicero[[In-content Ad]]
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