TG for DST

The State of Indiana finally did something right. They passed the Daylight Saving Time bill. Now, sometime next April, Indiana will join the other 47 states in the 21st Century.

Thank God for House Representatives Troy Woodruff (R) and John Ulmer (R). Yes, I'm thanking two Republicans because they switched their red light to green at the last minute. The bill passed 51-46, a narrow victory by Indiana constitutional terms. Senate Bill 127 was almost killed in an earlier vote, 49-48 against changing the time. But, it wasn't dead. For a bill to be completely dead, the Indiana Constitution requires 51 votes against it.

Rep. Woodruff is a freshman in the State House. The people he represents were firmly against DST. In fact, he even previously pledged to ""always vote against this controversial piece of legislation." But, at the last minute, he changed his mind and voted his conscience. No doubt his constituents will be pissed, but "Some things are more important than re-election," Woodruff said. I find that attitude very refreshing in politics.

I am especially angered with local Democrats who voted against the bill because of politics. They knew this was the right thing to do for this state and it's economy, but instead decided not to work with the governor to get things done. They wanted to make deals: "I'll vote for DST, if you vote for slot machines." They didn't get the slot machines, so they pouted. That is childish behavior. This is starting to become a theme with the Dems, not just here but across the nation, and it's really tourqing me off.

But, now that this battle is over (and for you non-Hoosiers, it was indeed a battle), a new debate can begin. Should we be in the Eastern or Central time zone? And you know, I don't really care which one we're in. Having lived in both time zones, I think I would prefer living Eastern. That's strictly because my TV shows start at 8pm, which makes it feel like I have an extra hour to get things done (like exercise outside) and still catch my boob-tube favorites. If we end up Central, I won't complain. I'm more used to that.

There are numerous people who live along the Indiana/Illinois border. They are worried that this whole time change thing will mean that where they live and where they work will have an hour's difference. That is an understandable concern. But, along 24 lines across this enitre world, people are dealing with that problem. After all, no matter how you slice the time zones up, someone somewhere has to deal with the problem in daily life. So, I'm sure if it does become an issue, they will be able to handle it.