We'll make it up in Volume!

It's stories like these that make me wonder if we really know anything about what were doing in response to our perceived environmental concerns. Today's post is dedicated to all those "we need to do something" meddlers who just can't seem to sit still.

Daylight Saving Wastes Energy, Study Says

According to a recent study, something that we all thought would be a good idea to reduce energy usage (and hence save the planet) may not really be having the desired effect. University of California Economics Professor Matthew Kotchen used the good folks from the great state of Indiana as guinea pigs for a three year study of their energy usage. Here's a little of what he found...

Having the entire state switch to daylight-saving time each year, rather than stay on standard time, costs Indiana households an additional $8.6 million in electricity bills. They conclude that the reduced cost of lighting in afternoons during daylight-saving time is more than offset by the higher air-conditioning costs on hot afternoons and increased heating costs on cool mornings.

Yup, $8.6 Million. (This is the part where I pontificate about one of the biggest design flaws inherent to large, bureaucratic governments- especially in scenarios like these.) Now that evidence is emerging that may contradict some previously good intentions, will anything be done about it? Should anything be done? Now that the USS Indiana is already full-steam ahead with it's current daylight savings regulations, how quickly can the ship be turned around if evasive actions are required? Hmm. Don't hold your breath. The moral of there story here: Almost no government-born solution to life's biggest challenges ever delivers as advertised.

Americans are funny. They pay tons in taxes and almost always get a negative return on investment. What's even funnier is that most don't seem to care. But when the kid at the McDonalds drive-thru gives us regular coke instead of diet coke we're ready to call in an air-strike. Go-figure.