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US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

bbc.com

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Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#41
post #35

Permanent standard time means less sunlight time after work. Permanent DST means kids walking to school in the dark. Changing the clock twice a year fixes that and lets us avoid both, with the only cost being people complaining for a day afterwards. It's like ripping off the bandaid, instead of doing a slow agonizing pull that lasts months. And yes, I know some people take like 6 weeks to adjust and they will complai…

I agree permanent standard time is a better solution. But maybe we change work to 8-4 from 9-5 and might be better that way anyway.

Does anybody actually work 9-5 (ie 7 hours assuming they take a break or two)?

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#42
post #35

Permanent standard time means less sunlight time after work. Permanent DST means kids walking to school in the dark. Changing the clock twice a year fixes that and lets us avoid both, with the only cost being people complaining for a day afterwards. It's like ripping off the bandaid, instead of doing a slow agonizing pull that lasts months. And yes, I know some people take like 6 weeks to adjust and they will complai…

I agree permanent standard time is a better solution. But maybe we change work to 8-4 from 9-5 and might be better that way anyway.

> But maybe we change work to 8-4 from 9-5 and might be better that way anyway.

Why not change the working hours of stores, and tv programming and other schedules too?

In the end, you get the same thing as a clock change, but having to change the times of everything everywhere.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#43
post #4

Studies have been conducted about the safety of sticking to one time. The ones who are the most vulnerable are kids waiting for buses in the dark. We can't move to dynamic school times because we are still working the same paradigm as the industrial revolution- same schedule every day, year in year out. And society is simply too divided and fractured, and the motives too hidden and craven, to decide to move en masse…

Studies also show that permanent standard time is better than permanent daylight time. But for some reason, the US wants to go against the rest of the world on this.

You are aware that at least much of Europe uses a similar system to what the US uses today?

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#44
post #9

As usual, when Congress finally moves to address an issue, they manage to do it in the stupidest possible way. Permanent Standard Time is the better choice in nearly every way.

Why so? Having more time in the evening after work is way better. Getting out of work and it already being dark is depressing.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#46

Permanent standard time means less sunlight time after work. Permanent DST means kids walking to school in the dark. Changing the clock twice a year fixes that and lets us avoid both, with the only cost being people complaining for a day afterwards. It's like ripping off the bandaid, instead of doing a slow agonizing pull that lasts months. And yes, I know some people take like 6 weeks to adjust and they will complai…

What if we just split the difference?

America/New_York becomes UTC-04:30

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#47

Permanent standard time means less sunlight time after work. Permanent DST means kids walking to school in the dark. Changing the clock twice a year fixes that and lets us avoid both, with the only cost being people complaining for a day afterwards. It's like ripping off the bandaid, instead of doing a slow agonizing pull that lasts months. And yes, I know some people take like 6 weeks to adjust and they will complai…

Pretty sure there are studies that indicate the time shift is actually harmful - more car accidents, more heart attacks, all sorts of things.

Really, the question is which system (standard, DST, or both) causes the least damage?

Also worth noting we tried permanent DST a few decades ago and it was repealed within a year because people didn't like it. Approval in advance was north of 70% and in the aftermath below 40%, IIRC.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt it. People seem to have a strong aversion to sleeping before sunset.

How would permanent DST matter in that regard? Are people going to bed at like 4 pm in the winter and now upset they'd have to wait until 5? DST is already used in the summer (and 3/4 of the year).

You're right, I should have referred to sunrise instead. For me, permanent DST would mean the sun doesn't come up until 9am in late December.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#50
Permanent DST sounds good to a lot of people, until they actually experience it. The US went on permanent DST in the 1970s and support plummeted after the first winter in DST (which is why we're not on it anymore). Of course, since it was 50 years ago, that means most people alive in the US don't remember the days of permanent DST.

The problem, I think, is that what a lot of people want is they want the sun to set quite late, like it does in summer time. But DST isn't going to give you those long summer afternoons in winter, because the sun just isn't up long enough; and the trade-off you'd make for maybe coming off work into the start of dusk is that dawn would start after you start working, which turns out to be pretty bad for your circadian rhythm.

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