As Time Changes

Alexandria Stewart, Reporter

With the modern age taking over many choices around the world, one decision was finally authorized and passed by the U.S Senate, to get rid of the bi-yearly “daylight savings”. Senator Marco Rubio, one of the bill’s sponsors, told “Reuters,” “‘Pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.’”

The original idea and benefit of daylight savings were mainly for farmers so that they could have more daylight in the evenings. The original idea came from a slightly facetious letter from Benjamin Franklin to the Journal of Paris stating that people should get out of bed earlier to reduce the use of candles and lamp oil. 

This change took place during World War I in 1918 but only lasted seven months before the bill was repealed. Gary Stephenson, a reporter from “Spectrum Local News” adds, “During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt re-established the idea of Daylight Savings Time. It was called “War Time”. From 1942 to 1987, daylight savings was changed many times. There were debates on when it should start and when it should end ranging from the normal nine months to a failed suggestion of sixteen months. From 1987 to 2007, daylight savings stayed the same, starting on the first weekend of April and ending on the last weekend of October. The changes were said to have been ideas or suggestions to help save energy, especially in hard-working environments. In 2007, daylight savings shifted to begin in mid-March and ended in the first week of November. This timing has remained in place to this day. 

As of March 16, 2022, the Senate based a bill to keep Daylight Savings Time year-round. The bill still has to be passed by the U.S House of Representatives, but many believe that it will. States like Colorado have taken the matters into their own hands, passing two bills of their own to try to end the change of daylight. 

With new modern advances in technology, daylight savings is not as helpful as it was before. Although some people believe that daylight savings can still be useful, the majority believe that this old routine is outdated and more of a hindrance than a benefit.