What time is it?

I’m taking a break from writing about Ukraine. That said, I’m never far from thinking about it. This story continues to break my heart and infuriate me.

What I want to write about today is something that has affected all of us this week. Daylight Saving Time. It started this past Sunday. I’m still adjusting.

From Reuters. The Senate this week passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023. It’s called the Sunshine Protection Act. The House must pass it before it goes to President Biden.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is one of the bill’s sponsors. He says, “I know this is not the most important issue confronting America, but it’s one of those issues where this a lot of agreement. If we can get this passed, we don’t have to do this stupidity anymore.”

A 2019 poll found that 71 percent of Americans prefer to no longer switch their clocks twice a year.

Is permanent Daylight Saving Time the answer though?

From the Washington Post: Sleep experts say the Senate has it wrong… Standard time, not daylight saving, should be permanent.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine agrees that switching time twice a year is not good. But… it’s standard time, not daylight saving time, that should be permanent.

The AASM says standard time is more associated with our circadian rhythms. Apparently, we sleep better and are healthier during standard time.

I forgot this. We tried permanent Daylight Saving Time in the 1970’s. It didn’t go well.

The Washingtonian has a piece about the time In 1973 when Congress put the U.S. on daylight saving time for two years. The country was in the middle of the energy crises. The thought was that this might help.

The problem with this was that kids were going to school in the dark. Some kids in the Washington D.C. area took flashlights with them.

In the weeks after the time change, eight Florida kids were killed in traffic accidents. Governor Ruben Askew asked Congress to repeal the daylight saving time experiment.

The Washingtonian says that while 79 percent of Americans approved of permanent daylight saving time when it started, it was down to 42 percent three months later.

President Nixon resigned. Not because of daylight saving time, but because of the Watergate scandal. Seven days later Senator Bob Dole introduced an amendment to repeal the DST experiment. It passed. President Ford signed it and ended it.

So, there it is. While it sounds like a great idea to stop making the country change the clocks twice a year, maybe permanent daylight saving time is not the way to do it.

One thing for certain. It’s Friday. It’s been a long week. Whatever time it is, I’m ready for a long nap.