The, "So Why Do We Do It?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to figure our how and why the state of Kansas could or would want to opt out of using daylight saving time. The states of Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that have done so since Congress standardized the system in 1966.  Being that Hawaii isn't part of the continental United States, it may be easier than it is for Arizona and maybe Kansas.  For those not familiar with the event known as daylight saving time, at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, 2019 the majority of the residents of the United States turned the clock back an hour to begin using Standard Time.  In my house, Carol and I had to turn the alarm clocks back, the microwave and oven clocks and the clocks on our cars.  The TV, since we have cable network, automatically goes back an hour, but someone must do that even though I don't have to do it.  Why do we do that?  One reason is so children walking to school or waiting on a school bus in the early morning wouldn't have to do so in the dark.  Granted, it gets darker an hour sooner, but by then the children were home from school.  Since it happens in the Fall every year, it is known as falling back.  

Then, on Sunday, March 10, we in the United States, except for Hawaii and Arizona, will turn the clock ahead an hour and begin Daylight Saving Time once again.  Allegedly, that all began as a way to help farmers have more time in their fields during the summer growing season.  But, that's really not true, since Daylight Saving Time actually began in the U.S. and in many European countries during World War I.  At that time, in an effort to conserve fuel needed to produce electric power, Germany and Austria began saving daylight at 11:00 p.m. on April 30, 1916, by advancing the hands of the clock one hour until the following October.  Quite a few other countries followed their lead and began saving daylight, thus Daylight Savings Time was begun 100 years ago.  So, how does one state in the Continental United States, and now maybe two, make it work when they stop changing the clock and use Standard Time year 'round.  I don't know.  My wife, Carol, and I have been traveling to the island of St. Martin for almost 20 years now in April.  When we board the plane we do so in Daylight Savings Time.  When we reach the the island of St. Martin we are in another time zone, but since they don't celebrate Daylight Savings Time, our time is the exactly the same time as their time.  But, while we in the U.S. in April have an extra hour of daylight, those in St. Martin are in the dark sooner.  As an example: in April at 6:00 p.m. it is still daylight in Pennsylvania where I reside, while in St. Martin it is dark.  The change in time zone as well as not having Daylight Saving Time is the reason.  No big deal, since St. Martin begins daylight an hour earlier and is a great time for a stroll on the beach.  At least we don't have to change our phones, watches and travel clocks when we get there.  But, how will that work for those living in Kansas when they are the only state to stay on Standard Time?  It will really throw off their schedule!  TV programing will be totally different.  "Jeopardy" will begin for everyone else in their time zone at 7:00 p.m. while for those in Kansas it will begin at 8:00 p.m.   The 11:00 p.m.

Evening News broadcast will begin at midnight.  Suppose you live on the border between Nebraska and Kansas.  During Daylight Saving Time while in Nebraska you may be getting up when it is just getting light while those in neighboring Kansas will have had breakfast already and be on their way to work.  Can you imagine the problems for someone who lives on the border and works across the border in another state.  There are studies that say changing times twice a year are costly as well as hard on your health.  It was reported that the day after the time changes there are increased hospital admissions for heart attacks.  Maybe Arizona and Hawaii really do know better!  If the entire United States would all go together and agree to use one time zone or another, it might work, but having different states with different time zones would be terrible.  Anxious to see what Kansas decides to do.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.