Editorial:

Daylight saving shows the problem of government

Posted 3/5/20

The weather has been considerably warmer lately, and as the snow melts away, it’s hard not to feel a bit more excited about weekends and evenings. This coming weekend, temperatures might get up …

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Editorial:

Daylight saving shows the problem of government

Posted

The weather has been considerably warmer lately, and as the snow melts away, it’s hard not to feel a bit more excited about weekends and evenings. This coming weekend, temperatures might get up into the 60s.

Whatever fun you have planned for this spring weather, you’re going to have one less hour of it to enjoy thanks to Daylight Saving Time.

Once we adjust to springing forward, that extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day is appealing to many, but altering the clock has shown to statistically increase heart attacks, stress, sleep loss, and traffic accidents — facts that many people are now aware. Most people are also now aware that farmers don’t need it and it doesn’t save energy.

Over the past several years, not surprisingly, fewer and fewer people support the change, and last year, polls showed a wide majority want the practice to end. This time last year, President Donald Trump tweeted that he’d have no problem making the spring forward permanent.

Since 2016, Rep. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, has sponsored bills to end the biannual time switch. In 2016, the bill would have had us fall back and stay there, but after he received some feedback, the bills in the years since have proposed making daylight saving permanent; it would be contingent on neighboring states also making that change. Each year, the bills have failed, though this year’s effort remains alive in the Senate.

Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which created the switch, in 1966. Despite support from the president and a wide majority of Americans, the practice continues in all but two states that have opted out.

This provides a fine example of one of the key reasons we should be wary of government. Even a law intended to give people something as universally appreciated as sunlight will have unintended consequences. And when those costs exceed benefits, it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to repeal the law.

Most of us have heard of the road paved with good intentions. What we should remember is how easy it is to travel down that road. Getting back is the problem.

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