DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME DOESN'T MOVE THE SUN!

 Weekly Opinion Editorial

LOCK THE CLOCK!

by Steve Fair

   

     Standard time in the United started back in 1883 by the railroads in the instituting of standardized time zones.  The action came about after two trains on the same track, referencing two different time zones collided, resulting in the death of 14 people. Up until then, the time of day was a local issue, which created confusion and inconsistency. 

     The reason for the changing length of daylight throughout the year is because as the Earth tilts (23.5 degrees) on its axis, resulting in different parts of the Earth receiving different amounts of sunlight.   The Summer solstice (longest day) for Oklahoma is June 20^th- the Winter solstice (shortest day) December 21^st.  The Spring Equinox (equal light/darkness) occurs in the Sooner state is March 20^th. All other days will have varying amounts of sunlight.  Changing our clock doesn’t change that.

     In 1918, Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which included Daylight Saving Time (DST).  DST was controversial and contentious and was repealed the next year.   Germany implemented DST in WWI to save energy.  The United Stated adopted DST as well, but stopped changing the clock after the war ended.      

     After WWII, state and local governments were given freedom to determine how to set their clocks and the result was chaos.  Those traveling a 35-mile route between Ohio and West Virginia crossed seven time zones.  The lack of consistency created confusion. In 1966, President Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, standardizing the dates of beginning and ending of DST. 

     Ben Franklin is sometimes credited with the concept of DST.  When old Ben was living in France he wrote an essay extolling that locals should get up earlier and do more during daylight hours.  The truth is Franklin was just making fun of the French for sleeping till noon. 

     U.S. Senators James Lankford, (R-OK) and Rick Scott, (R- FL) have introduced the Sunshine Protection Act to officially ‘lock the clock,’ and end the twice annually time change.   DST would become the national year-round standard.  Two years ago, a similar bill was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate, but never got a vote in the U.S. House because they couldn’t agree on whether to make DST or Standard time permanent.  President Trump says he supports locking the clock, but it uncertain whether in DST or standard time.

     First, Americans favor locking the clock.  A 2023 YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans want to end springing forward and falling backward. The poll found Americans spilt 50/50 on whether DST or standard time should be permanent.   Making DST permanent will have people driving to work in the dark in the morning during winter months, but the fact is Americans want to stop resetting their clocks twice a year.

     Second, DST doesn’t save anything.   Only the federal government would believe you can cut a foot of the top of a blanket, sew to the bottom and have a longer blanket. One of the reasons historically given for implementing DST is to save energy.  But the truth is DST has led to a slight increase in energy consumption due to increased air conditioning usage during later daylight hours.  DST doesn’t ‘move the sun.’   Only God can do that. 

    In the Bible, God caused the sun stand still for a day so Israel could fight a battle in daylight.  God didn’t just stop the sun- He caused hail and fire to reign on the enemy, giving Israel the victory over the Amorites. 

     Third, there are better ways to deal with less daylight.  Instead of changing the clock, let schools and businesses adopt seasonal hours of operation.  Instead of being a slave to a mechanical device, alter their schedules. 

     Studies have shown the human body is not designed to ‘reset its internal clock.’   After a time change, there are increases in car accidents, heart attacks and other health issues related to stress.  The study shows, due to poor sleep, more health care errors and less job productivity after the springing forward/falling backward ritual.   It’s past time to lock the clock!