Rockford Changes Clocks Back In A Month–Is It Time To Dump DST?
Try a little experiment at work or home. Mention to people around you that it's about a month until it's time to change the clocks again. See how many people respond with something to the effect of "Again? I ****ing hate having to do that!"
I tried it here in our building this morning, and pretty much everyone (around 6 people) said exactly that, except they replaced the asterisks with actual letters that spelled an actual curse word.
Radio people. So uncouth.
Daylight Saving Time Ends On The First Sunday In November, But Why Not End It Forever?
That's the question that seemingly is asked every time we go through this whole Spring Forward/Fall Back cycle. The other question, "why do we do this?" is usually answered in three words: "For the farmers."
Here's the thing, though. Daylight Saving Time (DST) wasn't adopted for the benefit of farmers. Germany established DST in May 1916 as a way to conserve fuel during World War I. The rest of Europe came onboard shortly thereafter. And in 1918, the United States adopted daylight saving time.
Though President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep daylight saving time after WWI ended, the country was mostly rural at the time and farmers objected, partly because it would mean they lost an hour of morning light. And so daylight saving time was abolished until the next war brought it back into vogue. At the start of WWII, on Feb. 9, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt re-established daylight saving time year-round, calling it "War Time."
Maybe we should get off farmer's backs on this issue.
Illinois Lawmakers Fall Into Two Different Camps On The DST Question
According to the Peoria Journal-Star, 7 different bills were filed in the Illinois House by members of both parties last year that tried to set Illinois on one time for the entire year. Those bills went nowhere.
Democratic Reps. Bob Morgan and Michael Zalewski and Republican Reps. Adam Niemberg and Thomas Morrison, filed bills in the last year to make daylight saving time permanent in the state. On the other end of that spectrum, Springfield Republican Rep. Tim Butler and Morris Republican Rep. Bob Welter filed bills to keep Illinois on its winter time schedule.