As our inapt, corrupt leaders either fling shit at a wall to see what sticks or gleefully tear apart institutions it took a couple of centuries to build, there is a small group of folks in Washington having a genuine good old-fashioned debate on a topic that, if acted upon, will affect nearly every aspect of every American’s life—daylight saving time.
Senator Ted Cruz led a hearing this week to discuss the fate of our yearly spring-forward, fall-back ritual. Sleep experts like Dr. Karin Johnson told the committee we should ditch daylight saving time and go full standard because it’s healthier for our brains, our kids, and our collective mental well-being.
What is Going to Happen to Daylight Saving Time?
Permanent Standard Time is, in Dr. Johnson’s view, boring but good for you. Meanwhile, Jay Karen of the National Golf Course Owners Association says DST is great because it gives us more post-dinner sunlight to play 18 holes, which translates to more money and fewer golfers crying into their Arnold Palmers.
The United States is already on DST for eight months of the year. Having some extra son at the end of our days is delightful and makes things feel a little less dreary as we wind down for the day, and it comes with physical and mental health downsides. It also has the knock-on effect of making life less safe for people commuting in early morning hours that would otherwise be sunny.
President Trump recently called it a “50/50 issue.” Cruz, for all his failings, seems to get the issue’s complexities. Do we want “sunshine and joy and fun and money” or “mental health and performance?”
He and the panel didn’t seem to reach a conclusion, and who knows if they ever will. It’s an issue that’s been debated on and off for decades. While there is no pressing need to change it, it is a grand society-altering shift that could have several unintended consequences.
It’s just a matter of whether politicians want to deal with those consequences should their decisions go awry.
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