Last year in Colorado, Gov. Polis signed into law a bill that would put the state on permanent Daylight Saving Time. Hurray! But there’s a hitch (isn’t there always?). Federal law must be changed to allow it. (Federal law currently allows a state to permanently stay on standard time, but not on daylight saving time. Go figure.)
Also last year, the U.S. Senate voted to make DST permanent, but the House of Representatives did not go along. And that still wouldn’t be enough for Colorado. At least four other states sharing the Mountain Time Zone must also vote for permanent DST. To date only three (Utah, Wyoming, and Montana) have done so. Or something like that. It’s complicated. And not likely to get sorted out any time soon.
So once again we are about to change our clocks. Tomorrow night, not tonight. Ugh. And although we are “springing forward” an hour to DST, it will only last until November. Then we’ll have to “fall back.” (Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t participate in time switching and have permanently opted out of DST.)
Interestingly, Colorado’s multibillion-dollar ski industry opposed DST for years because, apparently, they thought it would deprive them of an hour of operation each day in January and February. (I had to think about that one for a while.)
Did I mention it’s complicated? Axios may have explained it better. They note that 23 states have legislation pending to make DST permanent … while 15 states are considering making standard time permanent. Oh, joy.
Personally, sunset at 4:30ish mountain standard time really bums me out. But mostly I just want to not have to keep changing. I do have one clock that, after being wrong all winter because I neglected to reset it last fall, will be right again without my touching it. But at least half a dozen others will be wrong and not all of them will be automatically reset via internet magic. I’ll still have to manually reset the microwave clock, the stove, a back-up alarm clock, the car …
Hoo boy.
I wish they would really leave it one way or another
Yep, me too.
It’s all so bloody LUDICROUS !! We used to have four months on and eight months off DST, but big business spoke and we moved to divide the year in half. That is ! – those of our States that actually do it .. But WA and Qld say ya boo sux to that and ignore it (one west coast one east coast !) and the rest of us dutifully do the clock and watch thing bi-annually. So now, in summer Downunder, we have SEVEN differing time zones. “Pfuh !” you say: “we have lots more than 7 !” But we have lots less than 50 States !!!! Frankly I wish to all the gods that the whole idea would just die: daylight saving is quite meaningless, now that the Internet reigns.
And I thought we had a mess!!
I’m going to rebel and set my clock to anything I want. I reject the government’s control over time and demand that they stop forcing me to use their time system.
I’m looking forward to your report on that. Should make very interesting reading. 😉
It’s disruptive for everything, including my having to wind clocks backward or forward.
It does create a lot of unnecessary chaos, IMHO. And twice a year at that. Enough!
I like DST best too. Being retired, that lost hour doesn’t bother me and it only takes a few days to get used to the increased light at the end of the day. I remember during the Carter (I think) administration that it was made year-round for a couple of years. as far as I know, the world didn’t end.
I don’t recall the Carter thing. But it sure wouldn’t be the first thing I’ve forgotten.
It had to do with the oil/gas crisis… mid 70s?
Right you are. 1973. The oil crisis. Wikipedia for the win. But I still don’t remember it. I do remember the 55 mph speed limit across the country — which didn’t bother the coasts at all and was completely ignored in the middle of the country. (Not gonna traverse Kansas at 55 mph!)
Shoot. I thought this had been decided, that DST was set for permanent status throughout the country. Thanks for your article, describing the disparities, even though it’s bad news as far as I’m concerned.
It should have been settled years ago. Didn’t its start have something to do with kids working on the farm or something? I don’t recall, but we’re long past being primarily an agrarian society.