[LEAPSECS] Leap seconds decision deferred until 2015

[Daniel R. Tobias]

On Thu, January 19, 2012 9:03 am, Tony Finch wrote:

> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16625614


I knew it... it's enough of a "hot button" issue among the handful of
people who care about it that nobody wants to commit to actually taking
any action, so it will just keep bouncing around between study committees
indefinitely.  Maybe 100 years from now they'll still be debating it.

That's what happens when you've got something that polarizes the
interested parties sharply, with one subset strongly favoring change,
another subset strongly favoring the status quo, and the vast masses
outside these groups not particularly caring one way or the other, so that
there will never be enough massive outside pressure to force the governing
bodies to take action instead of calling for yet another committee.

It's not like this is an issue that will lead to people marching on the
capitol, rallying under the Washington Monument to hear a charismatic
speaker saying he has a dream of no more leap seconds (or of leap seconds
forever), or holding tea parties or occupation encampments to press for
one side or the other on this issue.  These sorts of mass movements can
sometimes force action when the politicians would rather just keep batting
the hot potatoes around, but they're not going to develop here.


-- 
Dan
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