I Want My Hour Back!!!

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Daylight Saving Time

I took an informal poll (a representative sample of five people) and discovered that most people think Daylight Saving Time is nonsense.  Even those who like the extra hour of daylight wish the clocks would stay the same year-round.  Why must I continue to have my normal sleep pattern interrupted so that everyone can have an extra hour of daylight in the evening?  I was particularly interested to know why Daylight Saving Time now extends from March thru November instead of April thru October.  The official answer is to save energy.  Feel free to do your own historical research, but the United States Congress made the last changes to Daylight Saving Time through the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Energy Policy Act is not what I consider light reading and Daylight Saving Time only garnered a paragraph.

Energy Policy Act of 2005  (Title I, Subtitle A, Sec. 110)

  
SEC. 110. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS.
(a) AMENDMENT.—Section 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966
(15 U.S.C. 260a(a)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘first Sunday of April’’ and inserting ‘‘second
Sunday of March’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘last Sunday of October’’ and inserting ‘‘first
Sunday of November’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) shall take effect 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act or March 1, 2007, whichever
is later.
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 9 months after the
effective date stated in subsection (b), the Secretary shall report
to Congress on the impact of this section on energy consumption
in the United States.
(d) RIGHT TO REVERT.—Congress retains the right to revert
the Daylight Saving Time back to the 2005 time schedules once
the Department study is complete. 


Old Indian Quote


Apparently, since we are still doing this, the Secretary reported back that it is having a positive impact on energy consumption in the United States.  Let us hope so, since losing a precious hour of sleep and waiting nearly 8 months to get it back is not high on my list of priorities. Pardon me, I had to yawn.  There are many things to love about March: college basketball, the beginning of spring (especially in the north), St. Patrick’s Day, and spring break, to name a few.  As you enjoy your daylight to get those extra outdoor activities in, think kindly on those of us who are walking around in a daze searching for our hour.  
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