Help Me ABOLISH Daylight Savings

[iLander]

Am I the only one that hates daylight savings?

For those of you in other countries, this is a peculiar American practice whereby we set our clocks ahead 1 hour in the spring and back 1 hour in the fall. Most of us do, anyway. Some states just ignore the whole thing and leave their clocks alone. (They are smart, but no ever one calls them since we don't know if they're at work yet. )The idea is that we have some extra light on winter mornings (6 am on the clock is really 7 am, so it's brighter) and summer evenings (seriously, do we need daylight at 9 pm?). Supposedly, this saves energy. Do any other countries do this?

The effect of this is that with the time changes, our sleep patterns are disturbed, and the entire country (or maybe it's just me) is groggy for weeks afterward. We waste weeks debating if we "gained an hour" or "lost an hour". Chaos ensues. And just as we get back in sync, we have to change the clocks again. I think this is why Starbucks is so popular.

Also, I don't think I've slept right since I was about 11.

Here's my idea: next fall, we set the clocks back 1/2 hour. That's it. Then we leave them alone. Never touch them again. As long as we live. So help me God.

Bliss. Ahhh . . . sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream . . .

Think of the savings in GDP and worker productivity! Think of the money this country will make when everyone's actually awake!

I've actually "tested" this theory for years, observing the sunlight in the mornings and evenings, about a half hour before and after their actual times. It works! There's plenty of light. 1/2 hour, then LEAVE IT for crying out loud!

SO. What do you think? Shall we email our congresspersons? https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

 

[Skippy123]

I actually like Daylight Savings. I love having more daylight in the evenings to walk outside, do yardwork, bbq's, etc.

The ONLY states that ignore it are Alaska and Arizona.

Also other countries use it. Here is a map w/the countries that use it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time

 

[Circe]

By all that is holy, YES. I don't mind it too much in Fall, but in Spring, every year, it kills me, since I cannot for the life of me convince my body that it's time to go to bed, and then wake up with the sun anyway. Urgh ....

 

[mayerling]

Just to say that the practice is not American. It exists in Europe too. Clocks go back on the last Sunday in October and forward on the last Sunday in March.

 

[AprilBaby]

Sorry, I LOVE Daylight Savings Time and I vote we keep it all year round! We did it in the 70's and it was great!

 

[sillyberry]

I would be more than happy to just never fall back. Keep more afternoon daylight forever and ever...I'm not exactly a morning person.

However, one reason for the change is agricultural needs. Earlier light in winter, when there is less light overall, tends to be better for farmers.

So I'm willing to accept it. And now that all the clocks I use - computer, phone, and cable box - change automatically, I barely even notice it happened!

 

[ksinger]

The first time it was done was a joke by Benjamin Franklin (sorry, no details. Hubs refuses to dig deep: he's on spring break). As a national thing it was instituted during WWI as a way to increase productivity before widespread electric lighting. And even Bush extended it after 9/11 because hey, Americans needed more time to go shopping. It's all about business, pure and simple. Although it really is estimated that the impact on business is actually pretty staggering - as in much increased sales and taxes from those sales.

So, forget it. Ain't happenin'.

ETA - and yes, I LOATHE it, forward or back. Hate it hate it hate it.

 

[swingirl]

I love daylight savings time. I don't feel a problem at all changing my schedule by one hour. It doesn't seem to matter to my body whether I get up at 7 or 8. My schedule is not the same 7 days a week so I am used to some flexibility. I love the extra daylight in the summer and get so much more accomplished.

 

[iLander]

Half an hour. That's all I ask.

You'll get the sun in the summer (so it sets at 8:30 instead of 9:00, big deal!) and the morning in the winter (sun up at 6:30 instead of 6:00), but no brutal, gear-grinding change twice a year.

Set it a half hour back in the fall and leave it alone.

Where's the begging icon?

 

[junebug17]

I love daylight savings time. I don't feel a problem at all changing my schedule by one hour. It doesn't seem to matter to my body whether I get up at 7 or 8. My schedule is not the same 7 days a week so I am used to some flexibility. I love the extra daylight in the summer and get so much more accomplished.

This sums it up for me!

 

[Mara]

I wish they'd leave it on DST permanently. I love that they moved it up in the year and farther back into fall. LOVE IT.

 

[yssie]

Am I the only one that hates daylight savings?

For those of you in other countries, this is a peculiar American practice whereby we set our clocks ahead 1 hour in the spring and back 1 hour in the fall. Most of us do, anyway. Some states just ignore the whole thing and leave their clocks alone. (They are smart, but no ever one calls them since we don't know if they're at work yet. )The idea is that we have some extra light on winter mornings (6 am on the clock is really 7 am, so it's brighter) and summer evenings (seriously, do we need daylight at 9 pm?). Supposedly, this saves energy. Do any other countries do this?

The effect of this is that with the time changes, our sleep patterns are disturbed, and the entire country (or maybe it's just me) is groggy for weeks afterward. We waste weeks debating if we "gained an hour" or "lost an hour". Chaos ensues. And just as we get back in sync, we have to change the clocks again. I think this is why Starbucks is so popular.

Also, I don't think I've slept right since I was about 11.

Here's my idea: next fall, we set the clocks back 1/2 hour. That's it. Then we leave them alone. Never touch them again. As long as we live. So help me God.

Bliss. Ahhh . . . sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream . . .

Think of the savings in GDP and worker productivity! Think of the money this country will make when everyone's actually awake!

I've actually "tested" this theory for years, observing the sunlight in the mornings and evenings, about a half hour before and after their actual times. It works! There's plenty of light. 1/2 hour, then LEAVE IT for crying out loud!

SO. What do you think? Shall we email our congresspersons? https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

bleargh - oh, I'm WITH you on this one iLander! Losing that hour of sleep was just

 

[kittybean]

Half an hour. That's all I ask.

You'll get the sun in the summer (so it sets at 8:30 instead of 9:00, big deal!) and the morning in the winter (sun up at 6:30 instead of 6:00), but no brutal, gear-grinding change twice a year.

Set it a half hour back in the fall and leave it alone.

Where's the begging icon?

Get the rest of the world to change by half an hour, and I'll consider your proposal. Otherwise, I think it's an hour or nothing, since it would get incredibly confusing for international business, etc., if suddenly the U.S. moved time up by half an hour while the rest of the world either stayed where they are or went forward/backward/sideways the typical hour.

Personally, I like Daylight Savings Time, and I'd prefer we be on it year-round. I am not a morning person and prefer it to be darker in the morning and lighter in the evening. The schedule-changing part of the time change isn't a big deal to me, but I absolutely hate when it's dark at 4:30 pm in the middle of winter.

 

[JewelFreak]

I HATE it too, iLander! It's dark so late in the morning -- I can't stand getting up in the dark -- & oddball that I am, I don't like it light late at night. Dislike going back in the fall the most -- because my cats remain on DST & wake me up at 3 instead of 4 a.m. when they decide it's breakfast time, little rodents.

--- Laurie

 

[kenny]

There are two things at play.
The earth and the humans.

Since the earth rotates around an axis that is at an angle days vary in length as the earth circles the sun.
In its summer the northern hemisphere is at an angle that leans for the sun for more sunlight.
Humans agreeing to move their time machines twice a year does nothing to change this physical fact.

If farmers need to work in the morning they can set their alarm clocks earlier.
If kids need to get to or from school avoiding the dark the schools can just adjust the schedule.
Why give everyone else jet lag?

Besides if they ARE going to change time twice a year they do are doing it backwards, AFAIC.
It naturally gets dark earlier in the winter so why not turn clocks the other way so it is lighter LATER?!?

Then we would not have darkness at 4 PM in the winter and sunlight at 9 PM in the summer.
Both summer and winter would get dark at a more-similar time.

Rant over.

 

[Missy]

Sorry, I LOVE Daylight Savings Time and I vote we keep it all year round! We did it in the 70's and it was great!

Totally agree with this. I hate the changing of the clocks every autumn and spring but love the DST so let's just keep it the way it is now. I don't mind the darkness so much in the AM (I am always awake by 5 am so it's usually dark anyway) but hate the dark when I get home so would much rather have DST so it remains lighter later.

And I'm with you iLander as I really hate changing it every 6 months or so. It disprupts my sleep for weeks afterwards also! So let's just keep it as it is now!

 

[Puppmom]

The only thing that irritates me about daylight savings time is hearing my co-workers say things like, "It's really 4 o'clock now." for weeks on end! Ack!

 

[kittybean]

The only thing that irritates me about daylight savings time is hearing my co-workers say things like, "It's really 4 o'clock now." for weeks on end! Ack!

This really bugs me, too. No, morons, it is really 5 o'clock.

 

[April20]

I LOVE DST! Of course, I'd rather we just not set them back an hour in the fall and leave them alone after the spring forward.

I love light later in the evening. When I first moved to Seattle, I was unaccustomed to so much light late on summer nights. I was out playing tennis the June after I moved. Someone finally asked what time it was. I thought it was 7 at the latest. It was 9pm! Of course, you pay for that in December when it's dark at 415. It doesn't stay light that late in Atlanta, but it doesn't get dark that early either. I think I've finally found my sweet spot, but would be happier if we stayed on DST permanently.

 

[ksinger]

My sentiment is I really don't give a flip which one it is, just PICK ONE AND THEN QUIT JACKIN' WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back or forward, it doesn't matter, either one messes with my internal clock and makes me feel like hammered poo. In fact, I feel ill right now....all draggy, achey, and sluggish. It never fails to mess me up....

The things we do for money....yeesh.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

This is way too complicated a topic.

My dh and I both woke up at 2 am with insomnia and I ended up driving my kids to school in my PJs.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I wish they'd leave it on DST permanently. I love that they moved it up in the year and farther back into fall. LOVE IT.

Until you have to put your 6 year old to bed in may and he says but it's still light out. Oh is it hard for little kids in school.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Me? I want noon to be when the sun is directly overhead at the equator on the equinoxes and midnight to be the middle of the night. Then leave it year round and let the cultural perceptions of time adapt lol

 

[Cozystitches]

DST? Not for me! I'm in AZ. No changing our clocks, but it sucks because all the shows we watch on cable are now switched around ugh!

 

[Mara]

I wish they'd leave it on DST permanently. I love that they moved it up in the year and farther back into fall. LOVE IT.

Until you have to put your 6 year old to bed in may and he says but it's still light out. Oh is it hard for little kids in school.

I've already got that worked out for 5 years from now... 'Mother nature is waiting for you to fall asleep and THEN it'll get dark'...

 

[Hera]

I hate the change too! I prefer to have it darker earlier, but I'll take anything long as it doesn't change.

 

[TravelingGal]

I love it. I guess I travel enough for work where one hour is a joke...I don't really even notice it.

 

[stci]

I adore daylight saving! It's like breeze... it's spring to come... it's good for "morale". Hummmm not sure about the word morale! Sorry!

 

[movie zombie]

i hate it.

i also grew up on a small farm in an agricultural community. farmers traditionally work during daylight hours...and in the summer when it is hotter than hades they prefer to work in the early morning. dairy people don't change their clocks and continue to milk bessie and her friends at the same hours each day. go into any milking barn during the summer and you'll see its still set at standard time.

i've read that since the 1970's it was meant to be an environmental thing so that when at home we don't use the lights as much. so we use them in the early hours instead.....

MoZo

 

[Imdanny]

I never liked it. We didn't have it in Arizona where we lived for a few years and we don't have it here. I haven't had to deal with it in about fifteen years.