Here is a link to a site that discusses DST. Has a lot of information about the history, rationale and arguments both for and against. Don't know who put this site together; but it seems like a pretty evenhanded effort.
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/i.html
A few points that caught my eye:
1. Was first proposed by Ben Franklin in 1784.
2. Energy savings come almost exclusively from reduced lighting use and amounts to about 1% of the total energy use per day.
3. Studies by the US Health Dept. show a net reduction it traffic accidents and fatalities of about 1% which means it saves 500 lives a year and untold injuries in the US alone. Note that there is a higher incidence of accidents in DST mornings; but it is more than offset by the reduced number of accidents in the evenings.
4. It is true that for early risers(farmers etc.) there is some additional energy cost; but the net savings for the total population is positive.
5. With the new schedule, DST will be in effect for Halloween, possibly saving some lives and for many state and national elections, possibly increasing voter turnout.
Here is a link to a web site that is against DST:
http://www.standardtime.com/news.html
This is probably more than most of you want to hear.....so I am done.[^]