No, I’m not talking about the pain of changing the clock, which is painful and miserable.
Is the sun setting on switching clocks twice per year for Daylight Saving?
What I am talking about is the pain that legislators feel this time of year. If anyone knows that a person is serving in a legislative body, those who serve are now being hit with questions:
“Why do we have to change the clocks at all? Why don’t you do something to fix that? Why don’t we just move the clocks by half an hour and be done with it?”
The questions go on and on.
And I say: That’s great! That’s what the legislative process is all about! If you are fixing the clock you are fixing a fundamental thing that government does now, and does badly. There simply is no good reason to change the clocks twice a year, and there are dozens of legitimate, science-based reasons to stop.
And that is why, as you can see clearly below, this is such a hot legislative topic. As of this writing at least 31 states are considering a bill to somehow fix Daylight Saving Time.
The fact that the bills haven’t made it too far doesn’t trouble me. Who am I? I am, in the words of Bob Villa, the leader of the national movement to #LockTheClock.
I understand that sometimes it takes a few years to pass a good bill. Change is hard.
But that’s no reason not to try. Florida did it last year, and actually passed a good bill. One of the sponsors went on to become Florida’s new Lieutenant Governor, so that worked out well for her!
I think a few other states will pass good bills this year, and then more next year. My prediction is that we will change the clocks in the spring of 2021 for the last time.
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