Letter to the Editor

Changing clocks

Sunday, November 1, 2015

To the editor:

Can Hoosiers handle moving their clocks forward and back? Sure. How well are we handling the wrong time zone? Not well at all.

Recent studies rank Hoosiers the 7th most obese and least physically fit in the US. Hoosier teens have the second highest suicide attempt rate in the US. Indiana teens have the highest death rate due to car crashes. 55,000 Hoosier students are chronically absent from school each year, the majority due to truancy. What is going on?

62,000 pediatricians caution -- this is what happens when sunlight schedules are out sync with biological clocks. Students are chronically sleep deprived; they can't perform well in school, and their mental and physical health is in jeopardy. Getting up and going to school two hours before sunrise is painful for teachers, students and parents.

Indiana was moved from Central to Eastern in the 1960s to benefit businesses. Today, Indiana businesses successfully compete in the world economy made possible through computers. If Indiana was restored to the Central Time Zone the latest sunrise would be 7:15 a.m., TV shows would be broadcast an hour earlier, everyone would be more rested and able to perform, and life would be better for Hoosier families.