Now that we've returned to Central Standard Time, I will ask again why we can't just stay on standard time year-round.
It doesn't take a genius to realize that daylight saving time doesn't save any daylight or time; it just slices an hour off of one end of the day and tacks it on to the other -- the name itself misrepresents the facts and is, at the least, a bit dishonest!
Until the recent time change, schoolchildren and commuters were going to work in the dark. Finally, even though the weather has been cloudy and dreary many mornings, they can see and be seen again -- a lot safer for the kids walking down the sidewalks to school.
Yes, I realize that some appreciate the extra hour of daylight in the evenings for outdoor activities, but wouldn't it be easier to just go to work earlier to get off earlier and have more time in the evening? And what about those who like the early light for morning activities? They get cheated. As soon as it begins getting light earlier in the morning, the pre-spring time change comes along and snatches it away!
Then, there are those who go to bed early to start the day early. Daylight saving time can mean going to bed well before dark to get enough sleep to be up in the predawn hours to get an early start on the day's activities.
I suppose I could also argue that I don't like changing all the clocks. Most of them are pretty easy, but it sometimes requires studying the car manuals a while before I can figure out all the buttons which need to be pushed to alter the time in our vehicles, and it's dangerous to change the clocks while driving. By the time it's time to change back again, I've forgotten how to do it and have to go back and read the instructions all over.
Of course, my body clock is a bit harder to change and it takes a lot longer. I haven't found a manual for that.
And anybody who has ever worked on a farm, or in a host of other jobs related to daylight hours, knows it doesn't matter what the clock says as much as what the sun says. When it is about to get light, it's time to get at it. And, if a fellow needs to get at it some distance away, he'd better be up early enough to be there by dawn. And farmers and other hard-working folks don't quit just because it's 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon. They work until it's too dark to work. So, why change the clock?
One of the arguments used in support of changing the clocks to daylight saving time for spring, summer and most of fall is energy savings. I remember hearing again and again about the savings. However, a recent fact check on the news revealed that daylight saving time saved no energy at all, Rather, energy use increased because of it!
My final argument in favor of leaving our clocks unchanged year-round (except after a power failure) is purely scientific. Since the sun still rises and sets at its appointed times each day, why should we change our clocks to make it seem the sun is running an hour behind? I say, "Until the government can make the sun stand still or make its shadow back up an hour on the sundial, let's just leave our clocks on standard time and live with it!"
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.