Wow, it’s been hot out there. Like, really hot. But that’s just Indiana for you. I probably can’t blame it on the politicians. But I can point out that Daylight Saving Time arranges the day such that the heat of the day affects us more. That “extra” hour of light also means an extra hour of heat. Since the sun doesn’t go down until later, the heat also doesn’t dissipate until later.
I was just wondering if a regional consortium of Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio legislators could be formed to deal with the time morass. It looks like, after viewing a map of Ohio, that if the Central/Eastern boundary could be moved east of the Columbus, Ohio metro area (say around Zanesville), running North to South, keeping the Cleveland metro area Eastern but moving the Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati metro areas and all of Michigan to Central, it would avoid dividing a heavily populated area (with the exception maybe of some Eastern areas of the Columbus, Ohio metro area and some Western areas of the Cleveland metro area). Of course something like that would truly involve cooperation of legislators in 4 different states. Perhaps that would be too ambitious of a project to try to accomplish. (I’m assuming in trying accomplish a project of this magnitude, the Akron/Canton metro area would remain Eastern and moving the Central/Eastern boundary to eastern Kentucky could be accomplished, since eastern Kentucky is for the most part sparsely populated). I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this. Also Pila, enjoy the Maidrites, hope you can get up to Greenville, they are great.
I think it would be a cruel thing to do to the people of Ohio. Boundaries create problems wherever they are placed. It is much better to locate them on a state line than on a county line. It was wise to unite Ohio into one zone. What makes no sense is for Indiana to be divided. Its like we took Ohio’s problem and made it our own. The Eastern/Central boundary that existed in 1961 made sense. Draw a line along the Alabama and Indiana eastern borders and it is almost a straight line. Where this line passes through Florida, Tenn., and Kentucky was close to the accepted boundary for those states. Michigan was the odd man out because the line splits it in half.
How Ohio and Michigan became eastern is an interesting story for another day.
I agree Jim. It worked for years, and it worked again April-October 1968-2005, when the time actually changed at the Ohio line (EST to EDT). It’s time to go back to the 1961 point for Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky (probably Tennessee too)and leave it there. What is really cruel is to constantly be moving the line. You get used to it and they change it on you.
But for all the arguments, Indiana looks sensible either way compared to the shenanigans done by a Maine legislative committee. Apparently a few from far northern Maine stacked a committee and got a bill through committee to put Maine on Atlantic Time. Since most of Maine’s population is south near NH and MASS, they would be inconvienienced while the sparse few near Canada’s maritimes would be happy. Keep in mind this would only help extreme northeastern Maine. North/Northwest Maine border Quebec which is on the same time (EST/EDT).
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/view/columns/1598348.shtml
Had MI opted for perpetual EST as Indiana had,then the pattern would have been established.GA was very unhappy with DST when it was first adopted in 1966,and at an earlier time they could have been invited into a pattern of perpetual EST.Perhaps KY would have joined. Now the trend is conformity.Even Mexico,which used to stay on Standard Time all year now observes DST and I never thought I see that. In the time hearings,USDOT would point out that IN was expecting to be treated differently.’Why is waiting for a school bus in Indiana a problem and not in Michigan?’And let’s not forget USDOT downplayed CT arguments that Indiana ‘belongs’ in CT because of its place geographically.This argument will go nowhere with USDOT.I see status quo for Indiana for a long time. There is no position on time a politican in Indiana can take that doesn’t have an ultimate negative backlash . The state is very divided and very passionate…a ‘time wasteland’ for politicians…abortion and gays are better issues actually. Reading Masson’s blog have helped me come to these conclusions.
Good link Gary. It has crossed my mind that we are observing Atlantic Standard Time this summer but I was afraid to mention it because the Chamber would insist we go to Atlantic Daylight Savings Time. I can hear them now. It would put us in sync with our neighbors in Europe. The Atlantic zone has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and they consume only a fraction of the energy we do.
I couldn’t disagree with you more Lou. The Republicans are very exposed on this issue. If the Democrats don’t take advantage of it they deserve their minority status. People are very concerned about this issue as it was made evident by the large number of submissions to the Docket and the number of responses Doug gets every time he mentions DST.
The winning position for the Democrats would be to support a referendum. A number of referendum bills were killed in committee by the Republician leadership in the last session. DOT mentioned that the Docket showed a strong desire for unity. A lot of us resent the manner by which EDT was imposed upon us without any chance of appeal. DOT was unduly influence by Governor Daniels and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as evident by the narrow scope of the review and the meddling in ” the sacred economic region of St. Joseph and Elkhart counties”. The mystery to me is why the Democrats are holding their fire. Seldon has a political party missed such a golden opportunity to seize control of a state perhaps for a generation.
A side note. More Wolverines commute to Indiana than Hoosiers do to Michigan.
“abortion and gays are better issues actually”
That’s intresting. Is it because we can’t pin time zones to party lines that we have such a hard time with it?
Again, here would be a great chance for some party to say “We think that Indiana should be contained wholely in the Central Time Zone” and use their party infulence to keep everyone in line. Then the people would have a voice.
No one knew that the time change would even be an issue when many Indiana congressmen were elected, and even if they did, they had no idea how their rep would vote. The only person that took a stance on time zones before he was elected was Daniels, and he pretended that he never said it after taking office.
The DST/Time Zone issue becomes a partisan issue not so much from the vote on the issue itself, but on the procedure by which the DST bill was passed.
The bill was defeated a couple of times, but by 50 votes instead of 51 or more, so it was resurrected. The voting machine was held open on a couple of occasions far longer than normal while Republicans twisted the arms of colleagues to change their votes.
So, the issue itself isn’t necessarily partisan, but House Republicans and the Governor have to take the blame for going above and beyond to obtain its passage.
Lou, I have to respectfully disagree with you about it being “provincial” to not observe DST, because “everyone else” does observe DST. Other states, namely parts of Arizona and all of Hawaii, IIRC, do not observe DST. Observance of DST does not make sense for Indiana, as long as most of the state is in the eastern time zone. That is not being provincial.
Any business, whether in Indiana or elsewhere, that routinely does business with other time zones should not have consistent problems with meeting times, conference calls, deliveries, etc. I believe it is only those people who did not routinely do business with other time zones who were having problems on the few occasions they did. Maybe it is provincial to expect all of us to go on DST because a few couldn’t keep track of the time. Maybe someone needed to tell those people who couldn’t keep the time straight that they were on the same time as NY part of the year and the same time as Chicago the rest of the year. Really, it is not that difficult a concept to understand or to explain.
I used to do discuss Indiana’s time all the time at my other job and had no problems with it. Most people I dealt with, after having read misleading news stories, thought that it was extremely difficult to figure out what time it was in Indiana. Once it was explained to them, they wondered why there was so much noise about time confusion in the press. I truly believe, from my own experience and from that of others I know who own businesses and who routinely conduct business with *multiple* time zones, that the “ease of commerce” reason for Indiana going on DST–especially EDT–has been greatly exaggerated.
“Once it was explained to them, they wondered why there was so much noise about time confusion in the press.”
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Pila,
No, it isn’t hard to figure out Indiana time when we were not on DST with a few moments thought.
The point is that it is also quite easy to screw it up too. Almost everyone takes shortcuts in thought that cause the screwups.
It is just like when people get mad because they have to spend 5 whole seconds in slowing down their car to pass me on my bike. If people generally get pissed about a 5 second delay in their drive then having to work the grey matter to come up with Indiana time is out of the question.
How would a referendum work? Would people in Lake and Porter counties vote to stay on CT?That area is about 100@ in favor of CT and it has a huge population relative to the state.Also Evansville would be about 90% PLUS for CT,another huge population relative to the state. The rest of the state would be divided,including Marion County.And what if by some fluke ET won? That would mean Lake and Porter Counties would have to go ET along with Evansville??? Talk about a commuting nightmare.!
Im waiting to see which Dem proposes a statewide referendum for CT,and how he will explain that it should be set up.
Any results of a referendum would be non-binding and therefore meaningless as the advocates for EDT tell us when they shoot down any attempt to get the time zone matter on the ballot. Only the U.S. Congress and the U.S. DOT have the authority to adjust the time zone boundaries. But it is reasonable to believe the people at DOT want to do the right thing and would give serious consideration to the wishes of the people. They would not have to leave their offices to act on the referendum’s results which I am sure they would prefer to sitting through a series of meetings as Judy Katela did last Fall. I would prefer a winner take all referendum. Enough of this trying to chop up a small state into economic blocks. For one thing it is impossible to do so in a modern economy. If a county was unhappy with the results it could always petition DOT using the established process.
It is not a slam dunk that central would win because we have problems getting our message out. Although we have the best arguments on our side the media appears very reluctant to give us a fair hearing. Doug and I have a very minor disagreement. He would be happy to have DST repealed but I don’t think it would survive a veto. I could accept eastern time winning as the will of the people and get on with my life. I am fully retired and can set my own hours but I sincerely believe eastern time is wrong for Indiana. For one thing it is contrary to the prevailing attitude Hoosiers have for work which is-get up-get ready-get to work-get it done-get home. Over half the people are at work by 8 am. It may be our rural roots that makes us such early birds.
Lou,the five counties here in southwest Indiana hope to have their petitions submitted by October at least that was what was reported at the Martin county council meeting a while ago.County attorney Lett said he expected if the petitions were eventually approved after the comment period the 5 counties would change this Spring which would mean we would have to advance our clocks 2 hours to catch up to the eastern time zone.What Mr.Lett doesn`t know I guess is that the DOT usually never makes a time zone change at the begining of DST rather it is usually made in the Fall when everyone goes to standard time.I do not know who is writing the petitions for them because none of the officials here are smart enough.Their last petition was 3 pages about like the other 4 counties!!
If we’re going to stay on DST, then I think the next best thing would be to have one time zone for the state. I’d recommend legislative action setting up the referendum, indicating the General Assembly’s belief that the interests of commerce would benefit from the state being on one time zone, either Central or Eastern. And I think that belief would be justified. It’s probably more important for the state to be on one time zone than it is for that zone to be Eastern or Central, particularly.
The second part of the legislation would require the General Assembly to petition the USDOT for which ever time zone the referendum chooses.
Of course the referendum isn’t “binding.” If you read the federal rules and the U.S.C. provisions having to do with the Secretary of the Dept. of Transportation’s discretion with respect to time zones, it is almost unfettered. The statute requires only that the Secretary have “regard” for the convenience of commerce when determining the boundaries of each zone. But, that being said, I think that the Dept. of Transportation would jump at the chance to put the state on one time zone and wouldn’t particularly care which one it was.
Phillip,
Thank you so much for that update about SW Indiana.Any action by DOT would be a long time coming.There may be a series of hearings again,evidently
Oddly enough I had a teaching colleague from Vevay, Indiana, back in the late 60ies and she told me her parents back home in VEVAY had to turn their clocks ahead 2 hours to go from CST to EDT.I remember she referred to her county as ‘little Switzerland’and it was on Ohio River. I later looked it up map.
Doug,I agree one time zone would be the best way to go as long as we all get to vote on which time zone.Even though it is non-binding and the DOT has the last word many people feel, Eastern and Central time supporters this is the only just way to go.As you know this is what Rep.Crooks wanted but got no where with it.If the majority voted for Eastern so be it. I would not like it but at least everyone will have had a chance to vote on it and be heard.That`s democracy!Maybe our lawmakers should give it a try instead of deciding what`s best for us without our input or passing it on to the counties and get what we have had with these time zone wars county vs county.What I always here from people not from this area is aren`t you people smart enough to move your clocks?It has never been about that it`s about living in one time zone and working in another or being a border county and the influence of the largest city in the area Evansville.Some of it I guess is moving clocks twice a year but most of it is about the other stuff.
I don’t see why the DOT would prefer Indiana to be in one time zone.The country is regional rather than state by state especially with economics and commuting. DOT would never put NW suburban Indiana on ET.I heard quoted the main spokeswoman in the South Bend hearings say that economic areas would not be divided,and in that instance part of Michigan was part of the economic area.DOT does NOT think states are necessarily natural boundaries for time zone lines.Why would DOT put Indiana suburban Louisville on a different time from Louisville? Of course they have the power to put Louisville on CT but that wouldnt be the easy solution! They wouldn’t do it just so Indiana could stay all in one time zone!They never have had that criterium listed.
Im trying to judge only by how they have ruled before,as far as I am aware, anyway.
Lou- Thanks for asking some questions that keeps us on our toes.
The federal government’s actions has shown it understands the value of having a state unified into one zone. They have adjusted the eastern/central boundary that divides Michigan, Ohio, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, and Georgia so these states can be unified. Indiana is the only state where they moved a boundary across a state line and divided the state. And the ICC ignored the recommendation of its chief examiner and violated their own rules when it did.
Taking your hypothesis that the state be separated into regions just where do you draw the line? This is exactly the problem DOT tried to solved when it placed the line between Greene County and Phillip’s Martin County. It not only made everyone unhappy it divided a very large Naval Center. One of Crane’s gates is in the eastern zone and the other in the central zone. Really smart.
I resent my state being divided to please the folks in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Geography should be the first consideration when adjusting a boundary line; the second consideration should be what do the people want; the third will it make sense to everyone. As Gary said if you base it on commerce you have to move the line whenever the commercial circumstances change.
Below is part of the article I wrote last year. I attempted to explain why it would be advantageous for the transportation industry and by association the U.S. DOT for Indiana to be in the central zone.
It would have been fitting for the U.S. Department of Transportation to have held hearings to decide this time issue. Indiana’s motto is “The Crossroads of Americaâ€. Almost all of the transcontinental traffic that moves on wheels north of the Mason/Dixon Line passes through Indiana. With the completion of I-69 the motto could be changed to “Crossroads of the North American Continentâ€
A unified time for Indiana would take the guesswork out of transportation schedules. A trucker making a 10 am pick up would not have to guess which time zone the dock was in. Travelers along the major east-west interstates, I-64, I-70, I-80, and I-90 would not have to adjust their watches while in Indiana.
If Indiana was on Central Time, I-65 would be in one zone for its entire length of 890 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan near Gary to Mobile, Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico with the exception of a short distance in the Louisville area. I-74 would also be in one zone for 380 miles of its 400 mile length. Upon its completion, I-69 would be in the Central Zone from the Texas/Mexico border to the Indiana/Michigan state line.
jim.
Thank you so much for speaking to what I wrote!
I personally have never thought interstate commerce was a problem as long as time was predictable;that is, everyone uses DST. My brother was a trucker and he knew exacty where all the TZ lines were.Being in the business it comes naturally. .The only significant issue with DST is that the sun rises too late and sets too late in the ETZ PERIOD,and that isn’t a commerce issue.
Chicago is always going to be CT and NW Indiana has to accommodate that for the commuters there. And Evansville is an established CT city and commuters there must be catered to.Detroit,Cincinnati and Louisville are in modern times ETZ cities that effect Indiana commuters.Establish the patterns and make sure daily
commuters aren’t divided by time in deference to a state line.
Indiana is called ‘crossroads of America’ and that’s apt. But Indiana is small and compact with large population areas just across its borders so we cant be a crossroads and closed state at same time.
I don’t see any other solution to the time than leaving the TZ as it was for 30 yrs,only with DST added.Already SW Indiana counties feel cut off from the state at large because the line was moved too far into the interior.I would think DOT would refuse their re-petitions for ET,but only because so much time was already spent approving these 5 and 2 others for CT.But if DOT does change these counties back on ET, that would be the death of CT hopes other than where it is already is.
The only Hoosiers I know personally live near Indianapolis and they are sighing that finally the time problem is solved for ever in the state. I’ve heard comment in past such as ‘ ‘Those damned CT people are dividing the state again’ It’s a widespread perception whether valid or not.The Naval center being divided has been mentioned and that’s blamed on moving the CTZ.
The minimum amount of counties possible on CT(only for daily commuters) is the best solution as far as unity for Indiana is concerned.It doesnt solve the late sunrises and sunsets,but I think you have one or the other as a problem.
I’ve tried to be neutral for a long time,but have come finally to the conclusion that what was, is best, and just leave the line where it was for 30 yrs and adjust to DST. Any other solution is worse.I don’t like the late sunrises either,but I’m in Indiana only periodically.
One more comment?
The favorite argument by CT proponents is that Indiana ‘belongs’ in the CTZ along with Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky.My hidden thought always is.. Fine! move all the people out and put these states all on CT! Our present administration is always making decisions based on ‘principle’ (as opposed to looking at situations) and we can see where that thinking has gotten us!
70 posts (71 now) on a topic that started as a passing comment on DST. Is that a new record?
It seems clear that putting the time zone issue to a vote of the people is the only way to “move on” as many have claimed. Many people have posted on this for one side or another. It is clear that even months into the change the people feel they have had no voice.
Put it on a ballot, let us say what we want. If USDOT ignores our common request, then the blame can lie with them. I would think everyone in Indiana politics would jump at the chance to make it “not MY problem, the people decided”. However, I may be giving too much credit.
Jim has a really good point. It sounds like what really needs to happen is for the Eastern/Central boundary to be moved back to the Indiana/Ohio state line and move the Eastern/Central boundary in Kentucky eastward to where is was prior to 1961. I agree with Lou’s point though, that you can’t divide a metro area even though it crosses state lines. I would keep Dearborn, Ohio, Floyd, Clark, and Harrison counties in Indiana on Eastern due to the large number of people who want to stay in synch with the Metro Cincinnati and Louisville areas. There would still be a problem with Michigan though, it doesn’t look like, after viewing a map, there would be anyway to divide Michigan. Also the aforementioned revised Central/Eastern boundary would put Louisville and Cincinnati on different times. The people in Union City would be furious at having to go back to being a divided town, but Union City is small and in terms of having to draw the Central/Eastern boundary where it affects the least number of people, it looks like the Indiana/Ohio state line makes the most sense.
Just as an addendum to the point above, if the Eastern/Central boundary in Kentucky was moved eastward and Louisville was on Central time, then there would only be 2 counties in Indiana, Dearborn, and Ohio that would need to be on Eastern. If Louisville were Central, then Floyd, Clark, and Harrison in Indiana could be Central also.
There is a way where an advisory referendum would be very helpful and could be used by state officials to advise DOT what the general consensus is.Those counties already on CT should not be part of the process.There should be no scenario set up where those counties who are now on CT would ever be put in jeopardy of being forced into ET.There’s no controversy there,at least there isnt in those counties long on CT since the 60s.That would be a failure of government at its worst. Set up a referendum in the counties now on ET with the understanding that all would either stay ET or be moved to CT according to the referendum outcome.DOT would then be in charge of implementing the recommendation. DOT could make exceptions to CT for counties wanting to conform to Louisville or Cincinnati.Any plan to include MI OH or KY is unpracticable.Indiana has the time issue,not these other states.And doubtless that would be the retort from DOT should Indiana officials suggest that the bordering states be included.
I have a personal dislike for referendums on social issues because they circumvent Constitutional Law and legal precedent and remind me of the Bush administration having anti-gay marriage referendum to emotionalize the base. But maybe in this case we could do it on an advisory basis without ‘mob rule’.Isn’t it good we never tried to settle women’s suffrage or integration with a referendum? They still wouldn’t pass( assuming women and Blacks couldnt vote).Thank GOD for the Constitution,for the legal system with its system of precedents,for lawyers and for the judiciary system!
I will be long distance driving now so will not be making posts to Masson’s Blog in the foreseeable future!
I would disagree with having a referendum that doesn’t try to put the state on one time zone. If we’re going to leave the state on two time zones, then why bother?
I’m reminded of the the one about the man at a party who says to a lady at the party, “Madam, would you sleep with me for a million dollars?†The woman smiles wickedly and says, “why, certainly.†He says, “Hmm, well how about $20.†She gets disgruntled and says, “just what do you think I am, a prostitute?†The man responds, “I think we’ve already established what you are. Now we’re just dickering over the price.â€
If we’re going to keep the bifurcated time zones, I think the way to go might be to simply have a referendum in the Eastern Zone on whether to observe DST or not.
I was fully intending to shut up and give everybody including myself a break but I can’t let some of Lou’s remarks go unchallenged.
I too fear the mob but comparing a referendum or a constitutional amendment to mob rule is a stretch. A referendum is Jeffersonian in principle and is not usually a good method to make law but they are sometimes necessary when the will of the people is being ignored by their representatives. A referendum is simply a means to seek redress from the government and the right for redress is guaranteed by the Constitution. If the results of a referendum infringes on anyone’s constitutional rights I am sure some judge will correct it and I don’t understand why an individual’s civil rights would be threaten by a time zone referendum.
The only civil right that may have been violated was in 1961 by a federal bureaucracy imposing by fiat a major change that affected every person living in Indiana and again in 2005 when several counties where denied a hearing to be restored to their rightful time zone because their answers were incomplete to a set of archaic questions the answers to which were determined to a large extent by previous rulings of the bureaucracy that denied their petition. This same federal bureaucracy had the impudence to reject the governor of Indiana’s request for a state-wide review of the time zone boundary in the state. Their stated reason for rejecting the request was that it was unusually broad and they would only consider requests coming from the chief executive officers of the individual counties. This same bureaucracy in 1968 transferred 36 counties into the eastern zone and I am sure this was not accomplished by a county-by-county process. Nor was it the process used in 1961 when the ICC ignored their own rules and precedents and moved a time zone boundary across a state line and placed almost half of Indiana’s counties into the eastern zone. The whole process from 1961 till now is one that might be expected in 19th century America or the Soviet Union but it isn’t one that the world’s greatest democracy can be proud of. Do I sound angry and upset? I certainly hope so.
I too think it is wrong to drag Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky into any corrective action for Indiana just as it was wrong to bring Michigan into the hearings at South Bend. Each of these states should do what they perceive to be in their best interest just as Indiana should have the right to do. Lou’s concern that part of Indiana now in central would be placed in the eastern zone is unfounded because DOT has the final say. As for the people in Indianapolis blaming central time for dividing Indiana, it just points out the need for education. That is the reason I tend to dwell on the time zone history because there have been 2 generations born and grown to adulthood since 1961 and they may not know that Indiana was originally in the central zone.
Indiana will be “The Crossroads of America†no matter if it’s on eastern or central and it couldn’t be closed anymore than the Mexican border can be closed. As for the large population centers just across our borders, Lou needs to take another look at the map. There are no large urban areas in Michigan that are in normal commuting distance of Indiana (Detroit is too far). Richmond is the only city that hugs the Ohio line. Cincinnati is about twenty miles from Indiana. Union City has been divided since birth and I am sure the residents are used to it. A major river defines the Indiana/Kentucky border and the commuters can easily discern which state they are in.
It is absurd to cater to commuters. Commuting is a personal choice and it should not influence what zone a locale is in. If it is too much of a hassle to commute between zones, one always has the option to change jobs or change residences. They might even conserve energy in the process. If I had to be at work by 7am I would prefer to go from eastern to central because I would be driving in daylight most of the year and from central to eastern the commute would be in the dark at least half the year. (Phillip- has there been any talk of this inherent advantage of central time?)
Boundary lines are like power plants, interstate highways, garbage dumps, oil wells, low income housing projects, prisons, etc. everyone understands the need for them but no one wants them in their neighborhood unless, of course, the oil well is on your property. Why did we let Ohio dump their boundary line into our neighborhood? It does give meaning to the term “dumb Hoosierâ€.
Because you stayed with me this long let me share this email from Tom Heller. Tom has a way with words.
My guess is that I said “the sun controls my body, but the clock
controls my life.” The daily activities of life are governed by the
clock we observe. But if the sun and that clock are out-of-sync, then
I gotta believe there are costs incurred. Maybe not visible or obvious,but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. I think I may have suggested that excessive eating (carbohydrates in particular) may be related to sleep-deprivation or getting our bodies up and off to work or school before they’ve got a shot of daylight. Certainly, there are studies that link carbohydrate loading to depression. And if Dr. David Avery’s research is solid, there may be a link between Indiana’s unnaturally’advanced’ clock and a tendency to obesity among the state’s residents.
Tom
.
Jim,my neice`s husband lives in Daviess county in the Central time zone but commutes to Orange county in the Eastern time zone to work although he has to get up earlier he gets home earlier he likes this. I have heard a few people comment about that part of it how they actually do not mind going from Central to Eastern to work because they get home earlier from work.My sister and brother in law are the opposite they live in Eastern and commute to Martin county(Crane) to work although they can leave later they lose the hour at the end of work when they commute home.
1) Indiana is bordered by major cities on three points (Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago). No other major state near a time zone line experiences this phenomenon. These centers of gravity are more important than the state line to the local residents. Having grown up in Dearborn County, local residents all refer to themselves as being from the Cincinnati area. Most of these folks couldn’t care less what time it is in Indianapolis, much less in South Bend, Terre Haute or Gary. Likewise, people in Hammond don’t care about Dearborn County or any of the aforementioned cities, either and really shouldn’t have a say in any referendum. (Has David Crooks proposed excluding the current Central counties? If not, this is clearly the type of stacking the deck that most EDT opponents seem to be crying about.)
2)One state, one time is ridiculous for Indiana. At least the five famous “renegade” counties will remain Eastern, whether officially or otherwise. I guess it makes for a good slogan, though. (Check out Phenix City, Alabama for another case like the renegades).
2) Trying to get an interstate coalition to somehow redraw the boundary in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky is whimisical fantasy. People proposing such a thing clearly are very “Hoosier-centric” thinking that other states should, would or ought to be drawn into this issue. For them, it ain’t broken, ergo Hoosiers aren’t going to be able to break it for them, try as they might.
3) I can certainly understand why people accustomed to Eastern Standard Time year round would like that arrangement. It presents the fewest lifestyle downsides of any arrangement for most people. It was an inconvenience to me, most of my family living in the Cincinnati area (Dearborn County) whilst I am elsewhere in Indiana. Nonetheless, EST is really brilliant from a lifestyle perspective in most of our state.
4) CST, however, is scarier to me than EDT. Why? For me, and probably for most people, it means fewer ‘non-work’ hours of daylight exposure than EST. We are just too far NORTH and east for CST–particularly eastern Indiana. That’s why referendum advocates would not exclude current Central counties and I suspect a 60/40 split pro-Central in the west and close to a 60/40 split pro-Eastern in the east. The Central counties would significantly tip the scales and make it look like a landslide. If this were a ‘landslide’ issue, we wouldn’t be talking about it.
5) I have been an advocate for EDT, but understand and sympathize with those who have had a hard time adjusting to it. However, I venture to say that a similar shock would be had upon adoption of CST, especially in eastern Indiana–all the talk about it being “natural” notwithstanding. Just the thought of winter CST makes me shutter.
6) I believe that as Indianapolis goes, so goes the majority of the state. If my “centers of gravity” theory holds and if a popular uprising against EDT could build steam in Indy, it would have significant consequences for this debate–either for a return to EST or a switch to Central. Likely, it would be EST, just because it’s easier to effect.
7) We’ll see this November, I guess.