There is a popular myth that Daylight Savings Time (DST) was pushed by farmers to have more daylight to work their crops during the growing season. Not true.
The legislation was approved in 1918 as part of the World War I effort to conserve energy. Daylight Savings Time was a non-starter after the war and was not reinstated till World War II, with the same justification. Daylight Savings Time did not become permanent until 1969, when Congress enacted President Johnson’s Uniform Time Act.
If you really want a history lesson, Aristarchus in the third century BCE thought the Earth might revolve around the sun. This heresy was proven around 1500 AD by Copernicus and Galileo, using more modern mathematics and devices to observe the heavens. These theories are now known as “heliocentrism,” which means the sun – and not the Earth – is the center of the universe.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has pushed for nearly ten years to make DST permanent. More than ten states have approved this if Rubio’s bill becomes law. Rubio’s bill passed the Senate unanimously. This rare display of unity may have happened because the bill was voted on right after a sleep-deprived Senate returned from their tax-subsidized lunches and voted by voice, which means their individual votes are not recorded.
So, what does this mean to the residents of Graham County? If DST becomes permanent, the sun will rise on Dec. 21 – the shortest day of the year – at approximately 8:45 a.m. If you live on the western side of a mountain, you may not see the sun until after 9 a.m. This is because we live in the western edge of the eastern time zone.
Sunset will also move an hour later in the winter. Nothing will change in the summer, because we already have DST.
Sleep experts widely agree that we should return to standard time all year. This means that most people would wake up when the skies begin to light up. I am a clock collector, so changing nearly 30 clocks twice a year is a pain. Therefore, I support standard time becoming permanent and oppose the DST permanent alternative.
There is also an economic argument. A study by the JP Morgan Chase & Co. Institute analyzed millions of credit card spending patterns in Los Angeles (DST) compared to Phoenix (no DST). The study reviewed 380 million transactions made by 2.5 million card holders.
Guess what? When DST in Los Angeles begins, spending goes up by 0.9 percent, compared to Phoenix. When it ends, spending goes down by 3.5 percent. Grocery stores are most impacted, losing more than six percent of their daily per capita spending.
I suspect this is due to loss of summer junk food sales. Beer and wine should make up for that in our local Ingles.
Depending on your beliefs, human civilization as we know it began evolving 6,000 years ago. The Egyptians believed in the Sun God Ra. They built a pretty amazing civilization without DST.
Humans and their ancestors began walking the planet around 300,000 years ago. It wasn’t till 100 years ago that anyone wanted to mess with the natural inclination to wake when the sun rose and go to sleep after dark.
Frankly, the whole thing is a yawn.
Roger Carlton writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, rcarlton57@hotmail.com.