Once again the state legislature will fail to drag Indiana kicking and screaming into sync with the rest of the country.

With the rest of the world, for that matter.

I'm talking about the dreaded DST, of course. That's daylight-saving time.

Frankly, I think Indiana's failure to follow the lead of 47 other states and most of the rest of the free world is starting to make us look, well, stupid.

And to think there are people who argue that Indiana is the only smart state for not fooling with clocks twice a year.

Everybody else is stupid, they say.

There is not a single anti-daylight-saving time argument that I can think of that intuitively makes any sense.

I've heard them all.

I suppose the one argument I can most accept is the outdoor theater owners. Daylight-saving time would definitely cut into their business.

And I can accept the "I am too lazy to change my clocks twice a year" argument. Just be honest. If you don't want to change your clock, I can live with that.

The other arguments are all pap.

You know, the ones about farmers and what time the grain elevator opens and kids waiting for school buses in the dark.

On Monday, the Indiana House of Representatives will vote to table the issue.

House Democrats offered a resolution that would end any chance of the issue passing this session by punting it to a summer study committee.

This to the dismay of businesses all across the state.

You see, Indiana's dogged determination to remain in the Stone Ages of time technology essentially shortens the business day to seven hours for companies doing business in an adjacent time zone.

It really does make a difference.

Scott Jones is chairman of TechNet Indiana. He wrote a piece for a group of Hoosiers in favor of DST.

In it he notes that in 1966 Congress passed a law mandating Daylight-Saving Time nationwide.

Well, I guess it really wasn't mandated because the law allowed states the option to opt out.

Indiana initially instituted DST, but in 1972 exempted 80 of 92 counties. At that time, 12 counties in northwest and southeast Indiana were left observing DST. Ten still do after two others voluntarily moved back into the Eastern time zone.

Jones writes, "When 47 other states began to practice DST and most of Indiana didn't, we placed ourselves on a unique 'island.' We got out of sync with the rest of the country, and for customers, airlines, shipping companies and others trying to communicate with us, we created a self-imposed handicap for businesses located here and those trying to do business here."

Bingo.

And, he notes, "For most Americans, and people in 70 other countries, the difference between what time it is in their hometown and what time it is across the country in their daughter's dorm room or their customer's office is a constant and predictable one. It's always one hour later in Charlotte than it is in Chicago. It's always two hours earlier in Denver than it is in Boston. This predictability facilitates commerce, and that's very important.

"Unfortunately, this is not the case in Indiana."

Enter House Speaker John Gregg, D-Sandborn. He says he does not understand how changing to DST would help the business climate, according to an Associated Press article. He's quoted as saying, "There's no consensus and it's better left alone."

Will someone draw that guy a picture? How much clearer could it be?

And now for my selfish reason for being in favor of DST.

It essentially makes my day an hour longer. That's why they call it "daylight saving."

Why would I want it to be light at 5 a.m. when I am just starting my day? I don't want an extra hour of daylight before work.

I want that extra hour of daylight after work when I can enjoy it. More time for fishing, boating, golf, barbecues, summer walks - you get the picture.

I feel like the state legislature is robbing me of an hour of life every summer day.

My selfish reasons aside, the business argument makes total sense to me, especially in the high-tech, global economy of today.

If we want to get in sync with the rest of the country we will have to change to DST. Either that or 47 other states, including Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois, will have to stop observing DST. [[In-content Ad]]