Welcome once again to Fandango’s Provocative Question. Each week I will pose what I think is a provocative question for your consideration.
By provocative, I don’t mean a question that will cause annoyance or anger. Nor do I mean a question intended to arouse sexual desire or interest.
What I do mean is a question that is likely to get you to think, to be creative, and to provoke a response. Hopefully a positive response.
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation to do away with the biannual springing forward and falling back that most Americans have come to despise, in favor of making Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent. When was the last time that the U.S. Senate voted unanimously for anything?
If the legislation were to also pass in the House of Representatives and then be signed by President Biden, it would take effect in November 2023.
Hallelujah right? Some of the positives for year-round DST include projections of less crime, more daylight time for retail shopping (for those who still buy stuff at brick and mortar stores rather than online), and more light for outdoor activities in the evenings.
But the most notable downside for year-round daylight saving time would come in the dead of winter, when many areas would not see the sun rise until long after most people are out of bed and off to work or school. In fact, depending upon where you live, sunrise would be after 8 a.m. from late November until the middle of February. And the latest sunrise of the year would be around 8:30 a.m. around the winter solstice near the end of December.
An alternative approach to permanent Daylight Saving Time might be year-round Standard Time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports eliminating seasonal time changes in favor of a national, fixed, year-round time. But it says current evidence “best supports the adoption of year-round Standard Time, which aligns best with human circadian rhythms.”
What I’m not going to ask for this week’s provocative question is whether or not you think we should ditch this ludicrous ritual of twice-yearly changing of the clocks. Of course you do. But I am going to ask you this:
Assuming you agree that we should have the same time year-round rather than moving up an hour each spring and back an hour each fall, do you favor going to permanent Daylight Saving Time or permanent Standard Time? Why do you feel that way?
If you choose to participate, write a post with your response to the question. Once you are done, tag your post with #FPQ and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments. But remember to check to confirm that your pingback or your link shows up in the comments.
This, That, and the Other 
Possibly another question is whether your senators debating this is a good use of your tax dollars?
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Most public political debates are paid for by private donations and campaign contributions, or sponsoring organizations, not by tax dollars.
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I thought you said the senators voted?
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Sorry, I thought I was responding to my Candidates Debate post. Yes, the senators did vote, but with no debate. And their vote to end the twice-yearly ritual was actually something most Americans want.
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What’s the minimum it would cost to get a law passed? Any law. Just in terms of the time of everybody involved. Millions, probably. Could that money be better spent?
Once you have a law in place, there is always a strong argument for sticking with the status quo, just because doing so requires no additional effort.. I’m quite happy to accept that the law is dumb, less happy to acceptthat we bother changing it.
Why is it there, btw? Do you know? It was a wartime thing here, I think, but that wouldn’t explain why the USA adopted it.
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Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. started as an energy conservation trick during World War I and became a national standard in the 1960s. The idea was that in the summer months, there would be more daylight into the evening. But as far as energy conservation, it didn’t work.
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Apparently, same reasons here. I never knew.
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Four days ago: Jon and a WSJ Reporter Battle It Out ~ “It’s a cesspool.”
[Spencer Jakab, an editor with
the Wall Street Journal,
criticized our first episode
of 2022. So we invited him … ]
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Although I detected an understandable grammar mistake late in this, and the whole approach is a little corny, this guy really tries — and succeeds at pulling together relevant information. This one is from a few days ago; I don’t think he has something even weekly, but I could be wrong about that. I, piddly ol’ me myself, had to answer questions about conflict of interest or insider information when I went to a financial planner, so what gives? Jesus.
Maybe Lawmakers Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Trade Stocks? – “Some More News”
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Meanwhile, a boyfriend in high school peeled his bananas from the bottom. I still usually don’t, although I’ve done it. How do you peel yours? I know you eat a lot of them.
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Top down.
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At least the senate has already gotten it done. They are usually the stranglers. Maybe this will actually get somewhere.
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Oh, lord. I meant “stragglers.”
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Thanks for the clarification. I mean would anyone be shocked if CNN broke in with footage of Senators actually strangling each other! LMAO!
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They are usually the opposite of swift (fowc points).
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Sorry, I actually think daylight savings is a good idea. I lived in a rural area for a long time and it is highly beneficial there
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No need to be sorry for expressing your opinion. Do you think DST should be year-round, though?
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No, it serves a purpose
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I have my opinions but since daylight saving is not practiced in my country, it won’t make a difference what I think. We just move the school and office timings one hour ahead in winters.
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https://humorismandatory.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/fandangos-provocative-question-161/
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I don’t mind darker mornings, and less crime (if true) is great, so permanent DST is fine with me. Standard would have been OK too. I’m just thrilled it happened!
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I care, but I don’t. In England the sun rise etc is the same as you say it would be now. Let it be just one way. We will adjust and be better for it!! ☺️
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We have to adjust, no matter what. I’m fine with either way or continuing with the yearly change for summer. The light variations in different seasons and at different parts of the planet are pretty major. I just think it’s kinda bizarre that a new law going into effect would have to wait until 2023. Waiting for a bicameral legislature is sluggish (not to mention expensive to pay their salaries and upkeep) in pretty much all things.
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I agree, if the bill to stay on permanent DST passes the House and is signed by the President, since we just switched to DST, why not have it become effective immediately.
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I agree, but the manufacturers of electronic devices need time to program these devices not to change forward and back. Maybe not a year and a half, though – although most laws that are approved by Congress and signed by the president go into effect a year or so later. It’s kind of aggravating.
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Lighter evenings are fine with me: https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/fpq-fandangos-provocative-question/
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Here are my thoughts: https://sparksfromacombustiblemind.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/fandangos-p-q-3-16-2022/
I don’t care greatly which one they choose, as long as they choose ONE and stick to it. I take it the “President” has the veto power still to rescind the motion?
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Personally, I don’t see the point any more. Changing the hour always used to confuse Maggie, but once we retired, it didn’t matter. Years ago I read that someone had come up with the idea of putting the clocks forward two hours in Spring, and then a final one hour back in Autumn. It didn’t happen.
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Wouldn’t two forward and one back really throw things out of whack. It would start a 24 year cycle where midnight 12am and midday 12pm would be reversed at year 12 of the cycle. :p
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I think I read the future – the post I scheduled for tomorrow, which I wrote in January, is about the frustrations of times a’changin. Can’t link to it until it’s ‘up’ at the appropriate time, though.
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I’ll look out for it!
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Sorry, comes out Saturday. Mixed my days up on the scheduler, when trying to determine which day/date/time that day was going to be …
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Here ’tis https://cagedunn.com/2022/03/19/its-all-in-the-timing/
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