# Annual Daylight Savings Time Poll

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 13, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398 "2010-03-13T22:18:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/1 "2010-03-13T22:18:20Z")

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Well in America (most places) Daylight Savings Time starts tomorrow Sunday March 14th at 2am.

What are you feelings about this? Like it? Hate it? Did it start too early this year?

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/2 "2010-03-13T23:16:11Z")

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[nitpick]It’s Daylight **Saving** Time, not Saving **s**. Its purpose is the saving of some daylight for productive use that would otherwise be spent in sleep by most folks.[/nitpick]

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**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/3 "2010-03-13T23:22:01Z")

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You didn’t have an option for “I hate it with the white-hot fury of a thousand suns”, so I just clicked no.

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/4 "2010-03-13T23:39:24Z")

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It ends here in three weeks’ time, and it can’t come soon enough.

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**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/5 "2010-03-14T00:13:05Z")

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My major problem is that I have three clocks in the house that seem to be hard-wired to the old dates of Daylight Saving Time.  
No matter how often I change the time, it reverts back.  
Only in about three weeks (the old DST beginning) will they finally settle in.

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**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/6 "2010-03-14T00:17:22Z")

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It doesn’t have much of an effect on my life one way or another. We still have the same amount of daylight, it’s just shifted a whole whopping hour. Whoopee.

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**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/7 "2010-03-14T00:23:42Z")

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Where did my goddamn hour go? Oh, I get it back in the fall? Okay, I see that it all evens out, but come Monday morning I’m going to want my goddamn hour!

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/8 "2010-03-14T00:25:42Z")

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Doesn’t apply in Arizona, but I love it. I work in the brokerage industry so now I can go into work an hour earlier and get off early. I like being able to go hiking after work.

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**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/9 "2010-03-14T00:37:23Z")

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Even though my ‘baby’ is 10YO now, speaking as a mother, I can say that DST is a PITA in a _huge_ way when you have a baby on a schedule! If said baby is accustomed to going to bed at 9PM (for instance) and getting up at 6:30, all of a sudden, you want them to go to bed an hour earlier (or so their body tells them) or an hour later (repeat: or so their body tells them) than they are accustomed to.

Repeat: It’s a PITA. I understand _why_ it was necessary way-back-when, when everyone was mostly farming-oriented, and people needed to work when there was as much _natural_ daylight as possible. Now that we have electric lights, etc. I don’t really see a need for it.

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**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/10 "2010-03-14T00:37:55Z")

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I’m a bit torn between “yes” and “it should start later like it used to”. Having it be light out on the way home is nice, but realistically, the weather in New England doesn’t get nice enough for that extra hour to be very useful for another few weeks. So I feel like I should be outside doing stuff, but it’s really not all that pleasant out yet.

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/11 "2010-03-14T00:45:27Z")

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It was introduced to save electricity, but studies show it doesn’t. Thus it is purely disruptive. Maybe year round DST would be nice, though. Or we just start everything an hour earlier, work 8–4, have concerts start at 7, etc.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/12 "2010-03-14T00:53:30Z")

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The thing is, days are longer anyway. Right now, sunset is at a quarter past seven. In June it doesn’t set until after 2100. What’s the difference if it goes down an hour earlier?

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/13 "2010-03-14T01:19:07Z")

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> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> The thing is, days are longer anyway. Right now, sunset is at a quarter past seven. In June it doesn’t set until after 2100. What’s the difference if it goes down an hour earlier?

Because that’s an hour I can spend outside with the light. I love to walk and I feel much better walking around the park in the light than after dark.

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**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/14 "2010-03-14T01:21:56Z")

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An old Pat Oliphant cartoon:

_“Today we’re going to show you how to make a blanket longer by cutting a piece off of one end, and sewing it back on the other end.”_

- “We call this Daylight Saving Time.”\*

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/15 "2010-03-14T02:45:55Z")

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> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> Because that’s an hour I can spend outside with the light. I love to walk and I feel much better walking around the park in the light than after dark.

But it’s still light late.

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/16 "2010-03-14T03:08:32Z")

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Meh. Daylight, schmaylight. Whatever.

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**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/17 "2010-03-14T03:10:27Z")

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Its a lot better than it used to be, but I really don’t understand why the ending date and beginning date of DST are not symmetrical with the winter Solstice.

DST ended at Nov. 1 2009, ~51 days before Winter Solstice  
DST begins at Mar. 14, 2010 ~83 days after Winter Solstice

IMO, DST should be based on the Suns position position in the sky, not the winter temperatures.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/18 "2010-03-14T03:59:22Z")

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Just stop messing with the clocks. Please, I’m begging you. Pick a time and stick with it for the rest of ever.

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/19 "2010-03-14T04:09:19Z")

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I freakin’ hate it.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-daylight-savings-time-poll/532398/20 "2010-03-14T04:10:35Z")

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I’m in Arizona, so I don’t care, except it takes a while to get used to changing schedules on cable TV. Also I have to remember the time difference between here and Pennsylvania, where my brother lives, is now three hours instead of two for when I want to call him on the phone. Otherwise, I’m just as happy that we don’t use it.

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