HATE IT. Well, I hate the change, especially in the spring. Pick one, go with it, stop this infernal changing.
<nitpick=on>
** rastahomie** if you really are in Springfield, IL, the latest the sun sets there is 8:31 pm (local time) in summer, and will set at 4:37pm (local time) in winter. 
Source: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html
<nitpick=off>
In Indiana, we don’t observe Daylight Saving Time. Don’t ask me why…
But, we seem to be doing just fine without it. We don’t have to remember when to Spring Forward and Fall Back, we don’t have terrible trouble driving home from work in the dark.
Life just seems to work without all of the hullaballoo.
Actually, depending upon where you live in Indiana, you do …
DST is one of those weird relics of a bygone day that no one has ever come up with a reason for that satisfies me. (The fact that I live in Hawaii may have something to do with it.)
“So no one has to drive on a dark road at 4:30.” Some drivers can handle the darkness, some can’t (I’ve never had any trouble). Regardless, I don’t see how a dark road at 4:30 is any more dangerous than a dark road at 8:30 or 9:30. I have driven during those times on numerous occasions. And there always have been pedestrians, many of whom were not wearing bright reflective clothing. Just be careful out there; that should be good enough for most nighttime conditions.
“So you don’t have to turn on lights in the morning; this saves a lot of energy.” Well, what about after sunset? Don’t tell me that everyone’s supposed to go to sleep at 4:30?
“So kids don’t have to walk home in the dark.” Oh, come on. How many schoolchildren do you know who actually walk to and from school? And if they do, they should be instructed on what to wear, where to walk, how to avoid trouble, etc.; adding something like low light conditions should be a snap.
The dumbest part of this, IMHO, is the idea that anyone’s “saving” anything. You take an hour here, you have to give up an hour there. Unless you’re away from home from morning to night every day of the week, I just don’t see how this is practical.
Sorry, that was a point and a joke at the same time.
To rephrase, if it’s really that important that the sun should be up for the kids to go/come from school, or farmers to tend their crops, then the clocks should be regularly changed. I don’t think it is at all important, so I vote for no change at all. But for those of you who do think it’s critical, why wait so long? Why not change every month, to get the “full benefit” of the sun rising at the right time? Wait, you’re saying that’s ridiculous. Exactly my point. If it’s ridiculous to change the clock 12 times a year, it’s ridiculous to change it twice.
…ok “probably ridiculous”… anyway, I still like the idea of clocks changing continuously…no jet lag effect, whatever.
Remember back in 1973-4 when they didn’t change the clocks?
When I was sitting in homeroom, it was black outside So cool…and freaky…