Sunshine Protection Act does not consider hurtful health repercussions
Pixabay
April 1, 2022
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. One of the only things these senators could agree on in these polarized times is that they are tired of changing their clocks twice a year.
Though the Senate may have been sleepy after “skipping ahead” this past weekend, this bill is ill-thought-out and dishonest about the detrimental health repercussions that will come with it.
While many health experts have been advocating for a single-time system, they do not recommend daylight saving time permanently. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine argues that standard time is the permanent time system that should be adopted because it conforms better with everyone’s circadian rhythms, or biological clocks.
Though there isn’t a causal study that proves that standard time is best for our health, there are plenty of studies that show circadian misalignment can lead to some serious health conditions, such as depression and cancer.
These same arguments experts have against the one-hour adjustment that many of the senators sponsoring this bill have hijacked into their push for permanent daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time was first put in place by Congress during World War I and later on in World War II to lower the need for electricity; the idea was that extra sun in the afternoon would decrease the need for electric lighting. During theOrganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries energy crisis of the 1970s, but there was little evidence that it was an effective tool for energy conservation.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been the most animated sponsor of the bill, claimed that Americans should not have to suffer sleep loss because of these time switches and that they will be happier and more productive as a result. In his appeal, Rubio failed to mention the huge monetary gains some select industries would make because of this bill.
“The bottom line is that daylight saving time is good for business and commerce across the United States,” LyleBeckwith, a representative for the National Association of Convenience Stores, said according to The Hill.
By using only half of the scientific claims around it senators sponsoring this bill seem to have fooled many so far.
While it is nice to see the Senate put aside their differences, they should be prioritizing relevant issues.
Edward L. Cole • Mar 25, 2023 at 4:50 pm
There are only a few article in favor of Permanent Standard Time. On The Internet if a person ask about Permanent Standard Time most of what comes up is about making Day Light Saving. Permanent. Some of the polls are misleading? When I wrote one of my Senators and told him I wanted Standard Time All The Time he wrote back and said the Sunshine Protection Act would make Standard Time Permanent and then one hour would be added to make it compatible with Day Light Saving Time. This is double talk. I did not want a name change I wanted The Original Standard Time. The reply that I got from my senator made me realize that senators do not listen to what you want and I think he may have counted me as someone who wanted the Sunshine Protection Act. I did not want it.
The way that polls ask questions might also effect the results they get. I wish The Government would let us return to Standard Time All The Time. The Original Standard Time is close to Solar Time in the center of The Time Zone. Schedules can easily be changed but The Sun can not be moved. When poles talk about The Sun rising earlier or later deepening if you use Standard Time or Day Light Saving Time this is garbage. The way we set our clock doses not change The Position Of The Sun. The time when The Sun will come up, reach its zenith or set will not be change by the way se set our clocks. Although Standard Time does not agree exactly with Solar Time it is a lot closer than Day Light saving time. To me there is something nice about having the clocks reading 12:00 when the sun is close to its Zenith I do not want to have a time changes but I also do not want Permit Day Light Saving Time.
The site below says:
63% of Americans Support Ending Daylight Saving Time, Survey Finds
By Amy Isler, RN, MSN, CSN
Updated on October 31, 2022
There was a poll by The Farmers Almanac that also show that more people want Standard Time but the internet will no longer show it.
Some petitions make people thing they are petitioning for Standard Time when the petition is for Day Light saving and calling it Standard Time.
I wish that you Would mention some of what I have written here. I wish more sites on the internet would take the side of Permanent Standard Time. We tried Day Light Saving Time during The Winter before and it was not long before it was discontinued because of the problems it cause. Instead of making the same mistake again why do we not try Standard Time All The Time and suggest to People, Schools businesses etc. that they can have summer and winter hours if they want and they can unjust their schedules to what works for them. Day Light Saving Time from the beginning was a way for government to try and manipulate the time people do thing. It is anti-freedom. If the Government had not melted with our clocks in the first place all people in a time zone would be using the same time and there would be no debating about what kind of time we use. It is kind of craze to try and change when everyone does thing by changing our clocks instead of schedules,. Changing schedules to what works for each individual situation makes since. Trying to make everyone do thing at the same time by changing everyone’s clock is stupid.