Apparently Mitch KNEW he was creating a mess w/DST in Indiana

[salin]

did a news.google search - to try to read more about this.

For newcomers to the issue: Indiana has not been on DST for years. For half the year we are on Central Time and the other half we are on Eastern time. To my knowledge Arizona does the same thing.

For as many years as we have not observed dst - there has been a debate in the statehouse to put us on dst. But never the courage to do it - as most folks didn't want to change - and part of the state is aligned with cities on one time zone or the other - and in a few areas (ala northeast by chicago) the dst is observed in tandem with the neighboring metro area.

So Not My Man Mitch - pushes DST through the statehouse (with a new house of reps republican majority). But apparently doing so without declaring which time zone the state would observe.

In the past week counties have been petitioning the feds to let them observe one or the other timezone - creating what looks to be a checkerboard of time zones across the state.

So read this item from last week with a local news station. Mitch PLANNED it this way (that localities could choose). At the same time the reason for observing dst in the first place? To cut down on confusion when doing business outside of the state. Talk about new confusion.

No wonder folks in this redstate are not gaga over Mitch.

http://www.wthitv.com/newsdet.asp?id=9670

Time Zone Debate
- Leanne Markins
9/18/2005 8:09:47 PM

When it comes to daylight saving time Indiana seems to be split on the issue. At least 19 counties in the state have asked the federal government for hearings to decide if they should follow central or eastern time. Friday was the deadline to turn in applications to the Department of Transportation.

Right now the Wabash Valley is playing tug of war between the two time zones. The main reason it became an issue the last legislative year is because Governor Mitch Daniels wants to see it change.

" I thought that the issue hurting us economically in the state, was the confusion around daylight savings time. I thought the choice of the time zone is a definitively local issue," Daniels said.

---

(salin's comment - this is for Thinking woman - pass this Mitch quote along if you dare):

"It's a matter of where people work, where they shop, where their recreation is and it should be determined locally. So, i'm going to support the expression of those few counties who do want to switch to central time."


more...

[izzybeans]

1. which if he wants to hurt Indiana even more economically

then this will be it. Think about the distribution nightmare this will cause with its impact on logistics with time stops and other deliveries, etc. Transaction costs are going to sky rocket. Thanks Mitch!

On that note. I saw one of those disgusting green shirts the other day. The only difference was the girl had put a peace of masking tape on the collar with NOT spelled out in large black letters. It was beautiful.

[salin]

3. only good sign

is that I was talking to a sixteen year old indy youth this afternoon - and he knew more about this situation than I do! Hopefully he isn't the only one of the next generation noticing the absolute insanity of stuff like this.

Lol about the shirt - I drove behind a "Not My Man!" green bumper sticker a week or so ago. Some folks beyond us are not fooled!

[izzybeans]

5. I work in secondary ed. and the kids are waking up. nt

[thinkingwoman]

2. MAJOR eye rollage here!

OH for crying out loud what a wanker!!! :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

So basically he is now saying "I MEANT to do that"?

My cat communicates the same message when she falls off the windowledge and lands disheveled and I don't believe her either!

Since leaving the newspaper biz I've severed most of my former contacts in the Law Co political scene, but I do have one or two I could pass that quote along to! :evilgrin:

Thanks for calling it to my attention!

[salin]

4. Had to do so

I hadn't realized til your post on the last thread, that ole Mitch and his minions were promising a specific time zone. Of course I assumed that if they made the edict - that they would define it (ala give a permanent zone - and make allowances for those communities that have already been an exception due to their proximity to metro areas in the other time zone.)

Pass this along when you can - and please do share any responses that you might receive.

:hi:

[thinkingwoman]

6. He was carefull to never do so officially

But behind the scenes it was a different story. I'm still shaking my head here.

I'll let you know if and what I hear back from Law Co.




P.S. I've almost unpacked all of my boxes. Hope we can plan to meet soon. :hi:

[salin]

7. I look forward to it

I make it down there most weekends. What area of town have you adopted to call home? My family homestead (so to speak) is in the college mall area.

[thinkingwoman]

8. We live in...

SW Blgtn...on the west side of 37. We love it over here...well...we love it just about anywhere in Blgtn really. We've lived all over the city, including near the Mall (which I love in the summer, but hate in the winter).

I lived on the SW side about 15 years ago and didn't like it because that was pre-westside development and we had to drive across town to buy anything besides food and gas. Of course, now it is much different over here with all the side access roads and loads of shopping options so I'm very happy being on this side.

Plus we have 2 bus routes out here now, which helps on gas, traffic, and parking. ;)

[salin]

9. when I first moved back from the Bay Area

where in my last six months I commuted from South of SF to Marin (through SF and over the Golden Gate Bridge), my mother would complain about the rush hour traffic and how long during those times it would take to get from the east to the west side. I had to laugh. Goodness - a whole five minutes added to the time ;-)

But we adjust - and I find friday evening traffic during the summer - coming through the bypass (and stopped up and 3rd st) to be "such awful traffic" - guess that is what time does - short memory of my old REAL traffic days.

Thank the late Frank McClosky for the public transportation system (he brought it in.) I think it is more efficient, and better utilized than the IndyGo system up here in Indy.

The whole SW area has really changed over the past 10 years. Plus - it (along with 10th and 3rd heading to Nashville) is among the most beautiful areas to drive during fall colors time.

[BiggJawn]

10. And NOW Benton county wants back into Eastern Time.

They voted to go with 4 of the 5 counties surrounding them that went with Central time (they have Illinois to the west of them) but upon further reflection. they realize that this will creat a HUGE problem in one of their school districts, which straddles the Benton-Tippecanoe county line.

How you can have a school district in 2 differnet counties with 2 differnet tax rates, is not my department. But it's a hoot to think of half the kids getting home a half-hopur before they left school...

Oh, and as far as I know, Warren county is still mostly Central-leaning, EXCEPT for the 3-township "island" that voted to stay on Lafayette time...

It's a clusterfuck, it's typical legislation in Indiana...

[salin]

11. wow - more info please

so four neighboring counties will be central and two will be eastern? Solves the school district problem (which would be a huge one) - but won't it still be troubling for folks whose businesses cross counties? For transportation and delivery schedules?

I would love to find a listing - or better yet a graphic depicting the "local decisions" of time zone, county by county across the state.

I suspect that most of the "petitions" to be on Central time - except for those which were already on Central time year round - will be rejected in DC.

[BiggJawn]

12. I drew a map, but I can't post it to the Internets

I couldn't figure it out, either, until I saw it with mine own eyes...

But call up an Indiana counties map, and follow along......
Lake, Porter, LaPorte, St, Joseph, Newton, Jasper, Starke, Pulaski, Marshall, Fulton, Cass, White, Newton, Warren, and Vermillion all want to go on Central time.

EXCEPT for the 3 townships that make up Attica in Warren county, because the county commissioners left it to the discretion of the individual TOWNSHIPS, so the 3 that make up Attica and environs voted to stay on Eastern time while the rest of the county went for Central.

Benton County, which originally went with Central time, now wants to stay on Eastern time, because their neighbour to the Southeast, Tippecanoe conty, is staying on Eastern time, and there is a school corporation there that straddles the county line. White, Newton, Jasper, and Warren (except for Attica) AND, of course, Illinois, will stay on Central time.

This is just the Northwest part of the state. The Southwest portion is more orderly, except Vigo county voted to stay on Eastern time, so there's a "hole" in the Indiana Central time zone block.

[salin]

13. I read that Lawrence County (Bedford) was going to petition for central

(not sure if they did) while Monroe decided to go with whatever Marion county was going with. This was what caught my eye to the story in the first place (a weekend jaunt to b-ton and read this local item in the paper.) I am not sure that it is a clear block in the southern part of the state that is either central or eastern.

[Ouabache]

14. Damn you folks are just so hard on Der Blade

I mean at least he is getting the mice out of the governors mansion. One look at his horrid combover probably made them WANT to leave though.

[salin]

15. per Mitch's move.... guess he heard of the likely spike in energy costs

and preferred to put it on the taxpayer's dime instead of his own.