Daylight Saving Time is a pretty stupid idea, although I wouldn’t go to the way over-the-top level of this writer who calls the system “America’s greatest shame” and “the greatest continuing fraud ever perpetuated on American people”.*

Still, once you get past the hyperbole of the headline and opening paragraph, he does provide plenty of evidence that there is “no benefit or rhyme or reason” for continuing this plan for “maximizing daylight”.

Like multiple studies showing that energy conservation benefits, one of the primary reasons for the US keeping (and in 2007 expanding) the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, are statistically irrelevant at best.

On the other side, he also cites research suggesting that shifting the time is bad for worker productivity and may even negatively affect health by disrupting sleep patterns. Not sure about any of that but it sure is annoying having to readjust for days following the change.

And then there are the farmers, for whom we were told in elementary school, this system was beneficial.

“That’s the complete inverse of what’s true,” Tufts University professor Michael Downing, told National Geographic. “The farmers were the only organized lobby against daylight saving in the history of the country.” The reason, Downing explains, is that DST left them with less sunlight to get crops to market.

Certainly their farm animals aren’t stupid enough to buy into DST and I doubt cows will be shifting their regular routines by an hour today.

Bottom line? There is no good reason to hang on to this crappy idea.

And on the subject of tinkering with time, another writer offers a proposal to cut the continental US back to two time zones instead of four, in addition to her five more reasons to kill Daylight Saving Time.

An interesting idea. Unlike DST, I understand the need for time zones, although having lived in the mountain zone, I’m not sure anyone would miss it.

*I could be persuaded to apply those labels to the Tea Party movement but that’s another post.