CLOCKS
It is time.
The House just passed a bill to encourage states to choose DST.
It doesn’t matter to me whether we use Daylight Saving Time (DST) or Standard Time. Just choose ONE.
The jumping around makes me dizzy.
Arizona doesn’t move to DST ever … and they do just fine!
The purpose of the original jump has been lost. We don’t need buggy whip factories because very few people drive buggies anymore. No one buys “ringer washers” since we have “spin” technology. Yet, since children had to walk to school in the dark EVERYWHERE in America in the early 20th Century we still need DST when very few now do??? We have “spin” technology now, folks! We have bus routes. We have carpooling. If we just leave time alone (no DST/ST jump) we don’t even have to worry about it being dark or light when kids head to school.
Do I have a preference? Sure! My wife does, as well, since she rarely is up before the sun and I have to push her toward bed at the end of the day. There is a significant reason I push her … if she comes to bed after me … it wakes me up and I often have trouble falling asleep again. So, we prefer an extra hour of light at the end of the day. No matter when I fall asleep I’m up shortly after sunrise. That being said, I’d give up the extra hour if we could stop the foolishness.
If we can jump by an hour, why can’t we jump past February? I dislike it, its too short for a month, and it jumps by a day (or not) on a slightly odd schedule. I’d rather the extra day thingy be pasted onto the END of the year, wouldn’t you? In fact, I’m all for every year starting on Sunday (or Saturday, or Monday). That way I can use the same calendar for more than one year at a time. Give February 30 days and do the weird stuff at the end of December, then jump to Sunday to start the next year. This makes far more sense. (The whole world should drive on the same side of the road, too.)
Anyway, DST or Standard Time? Choose ONE and live with it. In 20 years few will even know the other existed (people don’t remember history). Instead of demanding that every state must move to DST or ST, just make a law that they must choose ONE and stick with it.
We still have several analog clocks in our home. I have to re-set my alarm clock bought in the 70s (the numbers don’t go backward) every time TIME jumps. It is incredibly accurate. It also has an efficient alarm. Compared with those stupid “smart phone” apps it is much easier to set and turn off (no fumbling with blurry eyes to see that tiny screen … “Did I turn it off or hit ‘snooze’?) I don’t know why phone alarms are so difficult to use.
Furthermore, those at either side of each time zone see time differently (as do those from the north vs those from the deep south). The sun rises in New York City while those in Cincinnati have almost an hour of dark remaining. The winter sun rises in Miami nearly 20 minutes before it rises in Detroit (and vice versa in summer). So, it is difficult to get everyone to agree on the issue. What if we divided the time zones into parts and allowed each section to the west of the first to subtract 15 minutes from Standard Time. We actually have the technology to handle this issue (we have AI after all … and this is probably the best use of it). You are up and you dial a number and AI reminds you of the “sun time” at the number you are calling. We’d have a new, incredibly accurate TIME, “Sun Time” (ST). Why are we stuck in ancient history with our clocks?
Oh, as a curmudgeon I wouldn’t like it, but I’m in the sunset of my life, so it probably doesn’t matter what I like, right? [Snark.] We wouldn’t want to bow down to tradition or anything.
Twenty years ago nearly half the countries in the world had DST, that number has dropped to a third.
Jumping back and forth is dangerous, too. Studies show that there’s almost no change in household energy usage, but it does affect safety in some odd ways. For example, changing back and forth causes a sort of social jet lag … traffic and workplace accidents increase by about 30%, medical errors increase (between 5 and 19% depending on gaining or losing an hour), and overall mortality grows by 4%. Your infants and pets don’t react well either. Your boss may be cranky. Your spouse won’t have the patience he usually has (as if).
Finally, what’s up with the “2am” thing? Did a committee decide that? Midnight or noon would be the most logical, right! And why on some undisclosed weekend during some undisclosed month? I think the best time to jump to Standard Time is the night before the next election. Politicians would want to put an end to it. So, in the spring, make the “spring forward” event the night before TAX DAY and in the fall, the night before ELECTION DAY! Perfect timing!
I don’t care if EVERY STATE chooses their own system (Standard or Daylight Saving)! It doesn’t matter. Just STOP the incessant movement. I want off the ride.
Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
See more GUEST POSTS from Don
Comments