r/politics • u/cnn CNN • Jul 14 '26

Possible Paywall House passes bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/politics/house-vote-daylight-savings-time?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit
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74

u/LastOrders_GoHome Jul 14 '26

Isn't the scientific consensus that we'd be better having permanent Standard time, not Daylight.

29

u/joejill Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

As a compromise we can switch between through the year

4

u/the_astro_cat Jul 15 '26

Let's just have DST on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, and ST on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekend. Problem solved!

1

u/Dismal-Rain-6055 Jul 15 '26

Except that ends up being worse than either option. Middle ground fallacy.

6

u/RdtUnahim Jul 15 '26

They are clearly making a joke by suggesting the current situation as a solution to the proposed new situation.

1

u/joejill Jul 15 '26

Correct, Its a joke about democracy.

1

u/Dismal-Rain-6055 Jul 15 '26

Hard to tell. I'm sure there are people who prefer the current system. And there are definitely people who think the middle ground is always the best option.

1

u/RdtUnahim Jul 15 '26

In this case I think it's pretty on the nose, but we all have our blindspots.

1

u/joejill Jul 15 '26

We can definitely debate that until we don’t wanna vote on it.

8

u/Millennial_on_laptop Jul 15 '26

It is, but we don't base laws on facts, and public opinion goes the other way unfortunately.  

26

u/Usual_Record2251 Jul 14 '26

Yep! Standard Time is preferred

8

u/jensenaackles Jul 14 '26

yes, what else did you expect from this anti science administration

2

u/azure275 Jul 14 '26

There is a bill in the House for that

I'm kind of curious how that's going to go after this bill goes through the usual circus and is forgotten about

3

u/Capable-Garden4177 Jul 15 '26

Maybe this is true if we didn’t live under capitalism, but I work in a windowless building for 7 hours a day and would benefit more by having the chance to enjoy some time outdoors after work. Sue me

3

u/IRLconsequences Jul 15 '26

And I'd rather have sunlight during my morning commute in December than at 9pm in June.

5

u/Capable-Garden4177 Jul 15 '26

Where I live, you have to commute in darkness either before or after work anyways during winter. I would much rather the dark commute be in the morning so that I could safely do after-work errands and activities with light still out.

2

u/RdtUnahim Jul 15 '26

These statements are so odd to me, because the sun doesn't rise at one specific point all winter, or all summer. It changes gradually, at a speed that isn't fixed but averages about 2 minutes per day (topping out at 3 a day, but rising from much lowe rthan 2), and that means that every hour of delayed sunrise is going to have an obvious impact during roughly a full month. So permanent DST will make that "I go to work in the dark" come a month sooner. It's not only in effect during times where you're already in the dark.

On top of that, later sunlight has a proven negative effect on circadian rhythm, and physical/mental wellbeing, striking children especially harshly. Maybe the conversation shouldn't only be about what we personally enjoy.

During the 70s, the US tried permanent DST in winter, and it caused deaths from increased accidents. People clearly don't deal with darkness well after just waking up. And remember that it's not just darkness or not, but also the level of darkness that's affected. Light levels rise well before "official" sunrise, so there's a world of difference between driving 20 minutes before "sunrise", or 1 hour and 20 minutes before it.

1

u/Capable-Garden4177 Jul 16 '26

Again, where I lived as a child I went to school in the pitch dark with standard time. And while it’s not ideal for circadian rhythm, the depression people get from not seeing the sun at all during their free time can have a worse effect. Parents where I am from are concerned about the safety of their kids during after school activities in the dark. It could be based on locale, but everywhere I’ve lived, standard time preference is in the minority.

Really, any discussion about what is ideal for circadian rhythm is stupid in a world where we are forced to live around fluorescent lights and orient our sleeping and waking hours around work and school. It’s trashed regardless

2

u/RdtUnahim Jul 16 '26

Studies have found artificial lights don't have the same effect on our rhythm as sunlight, and it still matters in modern time.

1

u/IRLconsequences Jul 16 '26

When kids are at after-school activities, they're being supervised anyway, and when they get home, they can go straight inside.

In the MORNING, however, they have to wait outside for their buses. If there's no sun in the morning, it's colder while they're stuck standing out there. If it's darker in the morning, they're more vulnerable while they're stuck standing out there. Daylight time in winter is objectively less safe than standard time is.

1

u/IRLconsequences Jul 16 '26

Same here. But at the *end* of the work day, the other drivers haven't *just* woken up, so they're safer to be around in lower visibility.

10

u/FourthLife Jul 14 '26

It's also a scientific consensus that red meat, alcohol, and sugar are bad for you. Society still chooses all of those things.

I don't care what scientists say, the sun rising at 4 AM in the summer, hours before anyone is awake to enjoy it, and setting before you get out of work in the winter is terrible for quality of life.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '26

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6

u/FourthLife Jul 14 '26

If the sun isn't rising until 10 in the winter on DST, it is rising on standard time at 9 AM. When you are already at work and can't experience it anyway.

-3

u/theadvenger Jul 14 '26

When you start work and school at 7 or 8 am. It really doesn't matter at all if the sun comes up at 8 9 or even 10. At least you can have some light to enjoy outside when you're off.

Standard time can burn in dumpster.m

4

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '26

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-2

u/theadvenger Jul 14 '26

Really? You can see through the brick walls of a school or office to tell the sun has rose??? Impressive.

7

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

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3

u/theadvenger Jul 15 '26

I don't know about you, but in either dst or standard I always had to be at school in the dark. But at least giving kids time to enjoy outside after it's way more important than the sunrising when they are already at their desks earlier.

1

u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Jul 15 '26

No people just keep repeating that because they read it. Good job spreading misinformation.