[LEAPSECS] DST & gas

[John Cowan]

Peter Bunclark scripsit:


> "Average U.S. retail gasoline prices have risen 20 cents to $2.55 a

> gallon, and demand could rise further in coming weeks as daylight

> savings time gives Americans more time to drive"

> 

> From this,

> we conclude that Americans generally sleep late,


Rather, we generally get up no earlier than necessary to get to work,
and therefore (choose to) have no leisure time in the morning.


> are scared of the dark,


I think that few people choose to drive in the dark unless they must,
yes.


> and have ridiculously low fuel prices.


Low for an oil-importing country, high for an oil-producing one
(the U.S. is both).  In addition, our taxes on gasoline are essentially
user fees for highways rather than either revenue tariffs or 
"sin taxes".


> Or (as far as the first two are concerned) is it that people are still

> having difficulty understanding that DST does not extend daylight hours?


Given the other two facts, what DST extends is daylight leisure hours,
some of which are spent driving either directly for pleasure or in order
to get somewhere to engage in pleasurable activities (I understand that
in the rural West it is not unknown to drive 100 miles to see a movie).

-- 
Possession is said to be nine points of the law,                John Cowan
but that's not saying how many points the law might have.       cowan at ccil.org
        --Thomas A. Cowan (law professor and my father)