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Florida Lawmakers Approve Year-Round Daylight Saving Time (tampabay.com)
JustAnotherOldGuy writes: It seems like we're seeing a sudden outbreak of common sense from one of the most unlikely places. Florida might become the third state -- after Hawaii and Arizona -- to be done with the hassle of changing their clocks twice a year. Yesterday, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Sunshine Protection Act in under one minute, with only two dissenters. The House had already passed it 103-11 last month. Now it has to be signed by Gov. Rick Scott. If Scott passes it, however, it still has to go through Congress before Florida has Daylight Savings Time all year long.
Will you turn your clocks back an hour before going to bed Saturday night? Thank daylight saving time. Many place the conception of daylight saving time upon the shoulders of renowned Pennsylvania statesman Benjamin Franklin, genius inventor, journalist and man about town. He was living in Paris as the Ambassador to France at the time, going to bed late and waking up at noon — contrary to his often quoted saying "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," according to a 1784 letter to the editors of The Journal of Paris found on www.webexibits.com.
He had an epiphany after witnessing a demonstration of a new type of oil lamp and pondered whether the oil "it consumed was not in proportion to the light it afforded." Paris could save a heck of a lot of money by using sunshine — instead of candle wax and wicks — as a source of light. If only its citizens would get out of bed before noon.
Franklin's plan was laid out in mocking detail in his letter. It included calculations of the 183 nights between March 20 and Sept. 20, multiplied by the number of hours and candles, multiplied by the number of Parisians, and so on.
His proposal suggested the government tax every window with shutters to keep out the light; have the police regulate burning candles in the same manner they regulated burning wood; post guards to prevent coaches on the streets after sunset; ring the church bells and fire cannons if necessary "to wake the sluggards effectually," the letter stated.
Franklin, as brilliant as he was, could not have predicted World War I and the fuel shortages and famine his New World would face.
Most of Europe had already instituted "daylight saving time" when the U.S. instituted stringent fuel-conservation measures in January 1918. The U.S. faced a coal shortage and famine at the height of its involvement in WWI.
It was no joke on Jan. 3, 1918, when the Federal Fuel Administration ordered Gary Heat, Light and Water Co. to turn off the electricity powering street lights and signs on Broadway at night, reported the Gary Daily Tribune Jan. 4, 1918.
Transportation of goods became a big issue and the same day. The Hobart Gazette published President Wilson's announcement that he was taking over control of the railroad.
"This is a war of resources, no less than of men, perhaps even more than of men and it is necessary for the complete mobilization of our resources that the transportation system of the country should be organized under a single authority," his remarks stated in part.
The first week in January that year, Northwest Indiana was blasted by a blizzard. Gary Mayor William F. Hodges beseeched his citizens in a front page letter in the Gary Daily Tribune to step up and help shovel the snow out of the streets and off the rail lines to allow food and fuel to be delivered to the city.
Because time is the measure of a day's progress -- faking it to appease stupid people who can't change their or their employees working/school hours is just lying to oneself.
The less your opinion about Daylight Savings matters.
---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
Well, given that the state does not even want something closest to natural time, where the sun is at the highest point closest to noon, but instead wants the artificial DST in effect permanently, is weird. The alternative of getting rid of DST permanently does make a sort of sense at least.
It's Florida! People on the beach don't care what time it is, the retirees don't care what time it is, so why insist on DST? Business won't make more money, you won't save more energy, and you've got a surplus of sunlight already. If DST is a pain, why not get rid of it?
Why not make it UTC time then they can have daylight in the middle of the night, that would be good for business too!
Puerto Rico is in Atlantic time, which matches Eastern Daylight time. So with this change, Florida and Puerto Rico would always be in the same time zone.
MA also wants to join Atlantic time. NYers when asked also want to stay in EDT permanently (aka join Atlantic time).
Let's make this real easy. Move all states that touch the Atlantic ocean to year-round Atlantic time. Sorted.