HERE WE GO again. Unless the Indiana General Assembly pulls some last minute maneuvering, once again Daylight Savings Time will begin early this Sunday morning — and the State of Indiana will again not participate.
Up in Indianapolis, the Republican majority says as of Wednesday morning that it has the necessary number of votes to bring Daylight Savings Time to Indiana — the only question in their minds is when it will happen.
Is there time to enact it immediately so that the state moves its clocks with everyone else this Sunday morning? Would the state pick a date during the summer and join the rest of the world then? Would the legislature pass it and then set it to begin next year?
I find it interesting that the legislature has been all hyped up about moving to Daylight Savings Time since the session began, saying that it is good and also necessary for Indiana business to compete at a national level.
We have been led to believe that commerce is firmly behind this move — but now, just hours from passing Daylight Savings Time into law, legislators are hedging the timeframe because business can’t be ready to make the change.
It probably because they’re all out dancing in the streets.
My bet is that the measure will pass, but it won’t be implemented until next year. How could the state switch during the summer? If Governor Daniels thinks the rest of the nation is confused by Indiana now, just wait until we start moving clocks when no one else is.
House Speaker Brian Bosma is sending signals that he wants to wait until next year, but if it’s good for business and the state is as far in the dumpster as we’re told, then we better be moving those hands as soon as possible.
If the House passes the bill, then it would move to the Indiana Senate, where it would have a hearing in front of the Rules Committee. If it passes out of that committee, then it would go to the floor of the Senate for a full vote.
If that votes passes, get ready for an extra hour of daylight during the summer.
Representative Gerald Torr of Carmel, who is leading the charge in the House, thinks waiting until next year is too long, so he’s promoting a plan to change clocks here in June.
His reasoning? He doesn’t want to mess with the Indianapolis 500 auto race — now there’s sound fiscal thinking.
Under Representative Torr’s plan, Indiana would move its clocks a week after the race, which would be the first week in June.
Here is Switzerland County — that first Sunday in June is also known as graduation day.
Won’t it be fun trying to figure out what time the graduation starts and what time to tell traveling relatives what time to be here?
And how about all of those couples who have already ordered marriage invitations, which call for a “slow time” start? Somebody’s going to be late — I just hope it’s not the groom.
All of this is being fueled (again) on a belief that Hoosiers living in “border counties” like Switzerland are living a summer of confusion and disorganization.
It’s simply not true.
I’ve lived in Switzerland County since early May of 1984, and there’s no where else on this planet that I’d rather be. I’ve lived through this daylight savings time discussion 21 times now; and I can honestly say in all of that time, I’ve never missed an event or a wedding or a service because I got confused on the time.
Very few of us ever have.
For some reason other people can’t give us enough credit to be able to keep this straight. People in other parts of the state laugh when they hear us talk about fast and slow time; but the truth of the matter is — we all seem to do just fine with the process.
The only time any of us ever really get confused is when someone decides to get “formal” and use terms like “Eastern Daylight Savings Time” or “Eastern Standard Time.”
We often see those on things like wedding invitations, and I can see the need for formality at certain times; but if you want people there on time, simply tell them if it’s fast or slow time.
Here’s the deal: Switzerland County is an Indiana town — and right now, as of this moment, Indiana towns don’t go on Daylight Savings Time. You can talk all you want to about Lawrenceburg and Aurora and Rising Sun — they have their reasons for switching and they are valid ones.
But here in this county we choose to do things a bit differently. We keep time the way it is (when the sun is directly over your head in the middle of the day — what time is it where you are?); but we also make allowances on an individual basis for others that the time might affect.
Many of our residents work at jobs across the river, and Kentucky moves to Daylight Savings Time. Businesses such as the post office are tied to regional offices that want all of their satellite offices on the same time, so they switch, too.
Makes sense to me.
But ultimately Switzerland County doesn’t switch time, everything here stays on standard time. Yes, some individuals do move their clocks forward for convenience; but that’s on an individual basis.
Show me three clocks in this county that are in three different places and I’ll show you three different times. Hands on a clock can be moved, but that doesn’t change the path or pattern of sunlight.
As always, Vevay Newspapers remains on slow time because the state does. Everything you see in this newspaper over the coming months will be reported in slow time. Don’t get confused — it’s slow time.
Send something in on fast time, we will adjust it for you. As a reader of this newspaper, you can rest easily knowing that times for events listed in this newspaper are consistent. We will still list (slow time) after many items for the convenience of visitors who may be reading our newspaper while here; but if you don’t see (slow time) after a time, you already know what it is.
Should the legislature go ahead and ask everyone to move their clocks this Sunday morning, then Vevay Newspapers will still be reporting things on Indiana time. Simple enough, right?
Hopefully this is the last time we have to face this situation.