Why do we still have daylight savings time?

Has anyone really sat down and figured out why we are still doing this daylight savings thing?

Sure it was a great thing back in its day when we really needed it. The days were longer so the farmers had more time to plow and plant their fields. Their kids would be able to help them since there was more daylight to work in the fields after they got out of school.

Now that the modern day and age has come about, there are all these modern means of working the fields and nobody works after 5 p.m. anyway. So, what is the real reason we're still doing daylight savings? One gets used to how the time is and then you have to readjust your habits because of daylight savings time.

So can someone explain to me why we are still doing this? The only answer I ever get is it's here to stay and that's that and it will probably never change.

Ron Kelly
Lodi

Reader Feedback

dogbark wrote on Nov 15, 2009 9:06 AM:

" Ivan, I think you meant "in the Northern states where it gets DARK even earlier?"
But, I know notheenk, Colonel Hogan, notheenk. "

Report Abuse

Inquisitor wrote on Nov 12, 2009 6:20 PM:

" It used to be for more practical reasons. It was never for farming... farmers work from dawn until dusk regardless of a clock.

Now it's purely for commercial reasons. People stay out an hour later so they can shop and go to restaurants more -- activities they wouldn't do at dawn, if they had their hour back. They extended it an extra few weeks a couple of years ago due to the drag in the economy. "

Report Abuse

sam wrote on Nov 12, 2009 5:22 PM:

" ...and I forgot, PG&E makes it worth our while to irrigate at night. "

Report Abuse

sam wrote on Nov 12, 2009 5:21 PM:

" dogs, and now we harvest and spray at night. Crazy. "

Report Abuse

dogs4you wrote on Nov 12, 2009 4:48 PM:

" Farmers work from sun up to sun down and leave their watches at home, no need for them when the sun dictates how long they will work. "

Report Abuse

sam wrote on Nov 12, 2009 4:41 PM:

" Ron said " and nobody works after 5 p.m. anyway."

Ha ... Ron, you have never met a farmer have you... or a business owner. "

Report Abuse

Jerome R. Kinderman wrote on Nov 12, 2009 9:20 AM:

" The real question is why it has changed. Since I was a kid, when daylight savings time started on the last Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October, it's been lengthened by starting on the first Sunday in April and now the first Sunday in November.

I think the brilliant ones truly believe daylight savings time actually saves energy; or perhaps reduces greenhouse gasses to such an extent that the planet will not stop turning sooner.

Frankly, the only advantage of it is in the fall when we "feel" as if we've actually gotten an extra hour to sleep for the first couple of days. Other than that I find no value to forcing us to change our clocks and habits twice a year. "

Report Abuse

jramagic wrote on Nov 12, 2009 7:36 AM:

" I love it. Should be all year long!
I hate coming home in the dark "

Report Abuse

Ivan Dixon wrote on Nov 12, 2009 5:20 AM:

" I suspect that a big part of the reason is so that school kids can walk to and from school in the light, particularly in the Northern states where it gets light even later. "

Report Abuse

Comments on this story are now closed.

Archives

Story Tools

Indexes

Why do we still have daylight savings time?

Reader Feedback

Special Sections

Photo Reprints

Find Ads

Weather

Services

Contact Us

Office

Newsroom

Subscriptions

Advertising

Classifieds