Yep, that happens this weekend. I can still remember my mom teaching me how to remember it: spring ahead, fall back. I got it, but I had no idea why, what the purpose was, what it could possibly accomplish, and I just hoped someone (i.e. the news) would remind me when I had to do it. So here goes nada. Off the bat, let’s be clear: some hate it, some like it, some want to know the economic repercussions of it, and it can seriously cause problems for suicide bombers, apparently.
This all started over in Europe; if you’re not a fan of the concept, blame this guy. The essential idea was to save energy, have people out and about enjoying their lives more (retailers love it; TV networks hate it), and even notable individuals such as Winston Churchill loved the concept. Problem is, it doesn’t really save energy these days, it might cause additional traffic accidents, and it may have cost Indiana $10 million to $14.5 million to implement in all counties.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag that might shade slightly towards the ‘abolish’ side; thing is, though, Russia abolished it in 2011, and within 18 months, people were calling for its return. Schoolchildren weren’t seeing the sun, which was detrimental to their health. On a much smaller scale, this reminded me of my man back in the ESPN days, who would tell me every year at the fall DST, “Well, I’m not seeing the sun until March.” Yea, that’s how hard we grinded.
There have been petitions in Alaska, Colorado, and Idaho to get rid of DST. Right now, the only place in the Lower 48 without it is Arizona. The University of Arizona went so far as to make a video about it:
This is why Arizona doesn’t observe it; a lot of the issue comes back to the sun staying out until 9pm in the summer if they did observe hot. Arizona summers are hot. Cue this guy.
The debate truly is never-ending. At this point, even with all this reading/watching, I don’t have a major opinion. I think fall and winter should be darker earlier — it goes with the theme of the seasons, in my less-than-intellectual view — so I’m for it on that side. If it was only light out until 7:30pm in the summer instead of 8:30pm, I think I’d be OK with that. Summer is a porch beer season; you can do that by light, by dusk, or by dark. If we’re not really saving energy, the point might be kinda moot. At least it can be mined as a source of humor, if nada else.
