Spring Forward

Well, it's the second Sunday of March and if you think like me this semiannual switch between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is madness.  Today I lost an hour of sleep and in November after I set my clock back an hour I’ll still get out of bed in the dark to feed my dog.  At the end of the day I’ll feed my dog in the dark.  This resetting of the clocks messes with my circadian rhythms.

Daylight Saving Time is associated with the Western world as most countries outside Europe and North America don't observe the ritual. 

Courtesy of CNN research the notion of Daylight Saving Time has a curious pedigree.

1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving.  Daylight Saving Time is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

August 8, 2005 - President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

As for making Daylight Savings Time permanent there is evidence that the frequency of heart attack and stroke increases around the ritual resetting of clocks twice a year.  Benefits of Daylight Savings Time enhance public safety, make better economic sense and may improve our mental health.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time argue that most people appreciate an increase in daylight hours after coming home from work. 

 

Since 2015, at least 350 bills and resolutions have been introduced in virtually every state, but none of significance passed until 2018 when Florida became the first state to enact legislation to permanently observe DST, pending repeal of federal law to permit such action.  The vast majority of Americans want to put an end to changing the clocks twice a year, moving in and out of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

 

In the U.S., exceptions to DST are Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

Speaking for myself - I like the notion of more daylight at the end of the day, better health and a happier more prosperous United States.   

Make it permanent.  Lock the clock.