Later New Bedford Sunsets With Permanent Daylight Saving Time
The debate is raging over whether to make Daylight Saving Time permanent or continue to switch the clock back and forth twice a year. This debate is always raging, but the matter never gets resolved.
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill to make Daylight Saving Time a permanent thing. That means no more falling back and springing forward. The Sunshine Protection Act was co-sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts). Now there is an odd couple if ever there was one!
At least 20 states, including Florida and Massachusetts, reportedly support freezing time right where it is, but Rubio and Markey say they can't do it without federal legislation. I thought Arizona was already refusing to do it. I may be wrong.
Breitbart reports that former President Richard Nixon attempted to mandate permanent Daylight Saving Time in the 1970s when OPEC oil embargoes short-changed energy supplies. People went nuts because the change, while allowing for later sunsets, meant kids walked to school in the dark in the morning. The mandate was quickly reversed.
Supporters of the Rubio-Markey bill say the twice-annual time changes are unhealthy, result in more car accidents, mess with sleep patterns, and cause mental illness, among other things.
MassLive reports the switch to permanent Daylight Saving Time would "keep it darker a bit longer for those who wake up early in late fall and winter," and that "sunrise on Thanksgiving – November 23, 2023 – would not be until 7:45 a.m. as opposed to the standard 6:45 a.m."
There is a benefit, however, as "sunset would be at 5:21 p.m. instead of 4:21 p.m."
January sunrises on the SouthCoast would occur after 8 a.m. and sunset after 6 p.m. There are benefits, no doubt, to the Sunshine Protection Act. I love later sunsets, but I could do without going to work in the dark.
I really don't mind changing the clock back and forth twice a year. It's not that big of a deal. I even kind of enjoy the arrival of Daylight Saving Time each spring. It's something to look forward to.
But what do parents think about sending their kids to school in the dark? That's the main reason why Phil Paleologos is against making Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Do you support ditching Daylight Saving Time or would you prefer to keep things as they are?
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