A Plan To Fix Daylight Savings Time By Creating Two National Time Zones 545
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Allison Schrager writes in the Atlantic that losing another hour of evening daylight isn't just annoying. It's an economically harmful policy with minimal energy savings. "The actual energy savings are minimal, if they exist at all. Frequent and uncoordinated time changes cause confusion, undermining economic efficiency. There's evidence that regularly changing sleep cycles, associated with daylight saving, lowers productivity and increases heart attacks." So here's Schrager's proposal. This year, Americans on Eastern Standard Time should set their clocks back one hour (like normal), Americans on Central and Rocky Mountain time do nothing, and Americans on Pacific time should set their clocks forward one hour. This will result in just two time zones for the continental United States and the east and west coasts will only be one hour apart. "America already functions on fewer than four time zones," says Schrager. "I spent the last three years commuting between New York and Austin, living on both Eastern and Central time. I found that in Austin, everyone did things at the same times they do them in New York, despite the difference in time zone. People got to work at 8 am instead of 9 am, restaurants were packed at 6 pm instead of 7 pm, and even the TV schedule was an hour earlier. " Research based on time use surveys found American's schedules are already determined more by television than daylight suggesting, in effect, that Americans already live on two time zones. Schrager says that this strategy has already been proven to work in other parts of the world. China has been on one time zone since 1949, despite naturally spanning five time zones and in 1983, Alaska, which naturally spans four time zones, moved most of the state to a single time zone. "It sounds radical, but it really isn't. The purpose of uniform time measures is coordination. How we measure time has always evolved with the needs of commerce.," concludes Schrager. "Time is already arbitrary, why not make it work in our favor?""
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
But we do deposit an hour in the spring and withdraw it in the fall. The 0% interest rate just really sucks.
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
No, we borrow an hour in the fall and pay it back in the spring, at 0% interest. So it's really free time!
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
When I lived in Arizona (beautiful place!), I explained this to folks as "We have enough daylight here already, why would we want to save any?"
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:like that works (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Do Away With It! (Score:3, Funny)
Since I cross the Mississippi to get to work, I'm not sure I could handle leaving for work at 6:30 in the morning and arriving 15 minutes later at 5:45.
Re:UTC (Score:3, Funny)
Only computers can use UTC because they do not need to sleep.
UTC doesn't tell you when to sleep.
Re:Sunrise (Score:5, Funny)
I've we're going to be ridiculously nerdy and arbitrary we could all just just use seconds since the start of 1970.
"When will you arrive?
"I'll be there at 1383.408 megaseconds. I'll call you in case I'm more than a kilosecond late."
Re: Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
It would certainly help those who have preexisting daylight saving time. But I would rather have a single-time system.
Obamatime doesn't let you use choose time from across state boundaries, most people lose more time than they gain, and nobody can find out the time because of the http://timecare.gov/ [timecare.gov] fiasco. Besides, the President doesnt even participate in it; he gets to keep his own time zone.
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
Just don't call it Obamatime, or they'll shut down the government again.
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
Fix the Earth (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:2, Funny)
How do you think Australia managed to get their seasons opposite to us? For 6 months each year they banked one hour a day, 24 years later they cashed in.
Re: Daylight Saving Time (Score:5, Funny)
Could use some math lessons too.
Re:Daylight Saving Time (Score:3, Funny)
The spirit of Nixon compels you, you cannot resist his Quaker charm, "spring forward, fall back", he chants and will continue to chant until you acquiesce.
You are helpless, his fangs glisten in the November moonlight, your hand touches the alarm clock and it is done. The spirit of Nixon can rest for another 6 months.