It's decision time

How about this for a scenario:

Local officials, business groups and residents spend all summer and fall bickering about the benefits of Eastern or Central time.

The federal government, always moving with the swiftness of a glacier, takes Indiana's plight under consideration. Don't wait up for a call back.

And then, on the eve of entry into daylight-saving time next year, the Indiana General Assembly -- the same folks who brought this issue to every home and office -- pull the plug.

It shouldn't be any surprise Democrats want to hand Gov. Mitch Daniels a stinging defeat on this issue, which became the most-discussed piece of his first legislative agenda. But some Republicans, concerned about a timely resolution by the feds, also care about their prospects in next year's election and are ready to jump ship.

Hogwash, says one member of the House GOP leadership. But the votes already exist to delay daylight-saving time, according to another lawmaker, and no one wants to lose another legislative session to the issue.

So why bother to keep the argument going? Just in case.

On Monday, the Elkhart County commissioners are expected to say Eastern time is where the region needs to be. Among other points, the commissioners plan to read from a letter sent by the state chamber of commerce to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"Eastern DST provides the opportunity for business gains, increased safety, energy savings and an enhanced quality of life," the May 23 letter reads. "Moving to the Central time zone eliminates those benefits ... (and) attempts to move portions of Indiana out of the Eastern time zone would cause the state irreparable harm and make the hard-fought DST victory a hollow one."

Of course, Elkhart County's position will not match that of St. Joseph County. The line could be drawn between the two, and it could snake all the way through the state. Once the biggest domino, Marion County, falls, much of the state will follow into Eastern time. Cities like Lafayette are counting on strong ties with Chicago to pull them into Central time. A few areas, like Terre Haute in Vigo County, are still on the fence.

And some of Indiana's counties just don't care.

"We're rural, and we tend to like things the way they've been," said Mike Tiede, a Pulaski County commissioner. "All we've said about this issue so far is, it's not ours so why should we waste time on it. We'll let the other (counties) fight it out."

When the DOT tossed the issue to counties earlier this month, many were left flat-footed. When Truth reporters started calling around the state to try and establish some sort of line on a map, many commissioners said they hadn't scheduled any kind of public meeting or stated their time preference.

"It's probably a 50-50 split here, just like a lot of other places," said State Rep. Bill Friend, R-Macy, the majority floor leader. "It comes down to individual opinion, and even on daylight-saving time, some are happy about it and some aren't. ...

"The General Assembly has taken its position. I really don't think we're ready to go through all that again next year. And I think the governor has made his feelings be known he would like this issue to be settled (by the feds) quickly. Of course, the frustration with government sometimes is that it just can't move quickly."

Even on an issue when time is everything.

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