They are very convenient when working outside at night. They also increase security because there is no cover of darkness. If anything is out there you can easily see it.
I walk outside at night all the time and it's nice to have it and certainly not blinding. Especially if you are more than a few dozen feet away from it. And no one has any good reason to be out there at night anyway.
Cities and towns are way worse offenders in this. Hundreds of lights at much higher intensities. Even parking lots and empty buildings get illuminated like its day time. It creates enough light pollution to block out the stars even. And it's payed for by taxpayers.
Unless you're working outside all night, please install a light switch. I find a simple headlamp is more convenient when I have to see small details, and it's not pointing at my eye so I retain some night vision.
The idea that lighting contributes to security is questionable. Well-lit areas are easier to observe and navigate without calling attention to oneself. If it's your yard and you've lived there more than a month you should be able to walk around it blind-folded. Potential miscreants don't have that home-field advantage, and they appreciate your leaving the lights on. While they're out there you won't see them because you're inside watching TV. However if it were dark and they were shining flashlights or vehicle headlights around you might notice that. I'll allow that if there is an actual guard on attentive duty all night, lighting will be helpful.
I know that lights make you feel more secure, but that's just a reason to have them on while you're awake.
When you're walking outside at night "all the time", even though you don't have "any good reason to", you probably only see the ground in front of your feet. With all that artificial light, there's no way you're seeing any wildlife that isn't standing in the road, more than a few dozen stars, the landscape, etc.
Cities could certainly pollute less with light. Also, those who like bright outdoor lights on all night should move there.
Save your taxpayer angst for some other issue. The reason these lights exist is that power is really cheap when few people are using any power, which is generally true from bedtime to daylight. Of course the power company could be overcharging in any particular situation, but they wouldn't have popularized "security lights" in the first place if they hadn't had a bunch of generating capacity to dump.
I walk outside at night all the time and it's nice to have it and certainly not blinding. Especially if you are more than a few dozen feet away from it. And no one has any good reason to be out there at night anyway.
Cities and towns are way worse offenders in this. Hundreds of lights at much higher intensities. Even parking lots and empty buildings get illuminated like its day time. It creates enough light pollution to block out the stars even. And it's payed for by taxpayers.