The Ever Repeating Post

 Today, it's time to repeat a semi annual tradition on my blog.  My regular readers have seen (and read) this before.

Yup.

It's almost that time, here in the United States, to spring ahead.

Almost time for many to suffer a couple of days of disorientation.  (I'm one of them.) 

Time again for people to beg, "Someone make it stop!  Why don't they make it stop?"

Yes, it is time to spring ahead an hour to Daylight Saving Time. (Side note, it is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time).

I do a variation of this post twice a year.

Oh, does Daylight Saving Time bring back memories.

I remember too well how, on January 6, 1974, we had Emergency Daylight Saving Time implemented. It was supposed to be for 16 months, due to the energy crisis.  I don't have fond memories of stumbling to my 8am college class in the dark.  It was so unpopular that the 16 month idea was abandoned.

Also, there were the several car trips we took through Indiana in the 1970's and early 1980's, when we weaved back and forth between Eastern time on Daylight Saving Time, Eastern time on Standard time, and ditto for the part of the state in the Central time zone.  (This was before the day when one's phone would automatically show the correct time.)

Sleep experts tell us year round standard time would be the best solution.

Right now, in the United States, it is legal for a state to not implement Daylight Saving Time (which is why Hawaii, and Arizona outside the Navajo Nation can do it), but that is the only deviation that is permitted.  Yet, a number of states have passed legislation mandating daylight saving time, ready for the day it might be allowed.

Although most Americans (some 60%, from what I've read) oppose the spring ahead/fall back practice, no one can seem to agree on exactly how it should end. Should we have year round daylight saving time or year round standard time? Or, should we go back a half hour so no one is happy?

Federal legislation would be needed if we want to go to year round daylight saving time.  (We don't need federal legislation for year round standard time, as stated above). Should we have state referendums?  Should we throw darts at a dartboard or spin a wheel?  Should we sacrifice a clock and examine its innards?

It's like we are stuck in some horrible quicksand, unable to move, unable to legislate anything.  Hmmm, come to think of it, that's a familiar occurrence in our country right now.

So around and around we go. As the saying goes, where it stops, nobody knows. We've been doing it for years.

Get ready. 

Sunday, March 10, at 2am, we do the time change again.  We'll complain for a couple of days and then forget about it.

That is, until we go back to Standard Time Sunday, November 3.