The 5 Dumbest Arguments Against The Sunshine
Protection Act
Issues & Insights,
by
The Editorial Board
Original Article
Posted By: RockyTCB,
7/16/2026 9:32:22 AM
Four years ago, the Senate voted unanimously to ditch the switch and stick with daylight saving time year-round. Nineteen states have passed laws that would make DST permanent, if the federal government would let them. And this week, the House approved the Sunshine Protection Act by a 3-to-1 margin.
But don’t count on it becoming law.
As Politico reports, it “faces an uphill battle in the Senate despite strong lobbying from the White House and personal engagement from President Donald Trump.”
The problem is that enough Senators are likely to be swayed by critics to block it, even though the arguments against the bill are entirely specious.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 7/16/2026 9:41:12 AM (No. 2128901)
I don't care what they do, only quit changing the clock.
14 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Cindiana 7/16/2026 9:46:31 AM (No. 2128904)
I was reflexively inclined to pass over this one but decided to read the article. It's excellent and covers aspects of this dilemma I'd never thought about, like time zones.
Please take a few minutes to check it out.
But, to distill it to one very logical thought, here it is:
"Just end the back-and-forth. Pick a time and stick with it."
16 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
mc squared 7/16/2026 9:56:20 AM (No. 2128914)
Except for 6 months in 1974, I've be been living just fine with current system for 77 years. I never change the clocks: half are on EST and half on EDST: I average them But the sun rising at 8:40 in Michigan is a bummer.
4 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
DVC 7/16/2026 10:01:12 AM (No. 2128919)
I cannot imagine people who think that 'spring ahead and fall back' is more than a very slight inconvenience twice a year. Is this something to actually waste time on?
It's a stupid issue, leave it alone and let's worry about things that actually MATTER. How foolish to worry about this.
9 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
HPmatt 7/16/2026 10:17:07 AM (No. 2128925)
Like AZ has done - states can opt in our out. AZ vs ME w/b dependent on what they need. Call your state reps if an issue.
6 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
wildcat1 7/16/2026 10:19:11 AM (No. 2128926)
#4 I agree. I'm a farmer and I get along just fine with the current setup. No need for the sun to come up at 5 AM here in Kansas. I won't be up anyway. No businesses are open.
Having more daylight at the end of the day in summer is a big plus for me, it jsut fits the farming schedule better. I remember 1974 when it was still dark at 8 AM in the winter, not a good thing for many reasons.
People that whine about changing the clock twice a year need to find something else to complain about.
6 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Kate318 7/16/2026 10:52:36 AM (No. 2128935)
More Tommy rot from the I & I editorial board. Put the clocks on Standard Time and leave it. Despite what the after-work golfers and grillers tell you, DST is not popular with the majority. Congress snuck this legislation in at the 11th hour, but the masses have mobilized quickly to lobby their senators. It will be blocked.
5 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
earlybird 7/16/2026 11:09:39 AM (No. 2128943)
Excellenrt article puts big holes in the arguments against DST. Dr. Siegel has described the negative effects of the time switching on our heaerts,
We are only talking about 127 more days of DEST.
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
texaspast 7/16/2026 11:18:39 AM (No. 2128945)
My main objection to year-round DST is school kids who have to catch the bus to school. Some of the schools start picking up children at 7:00 or even earlier. Waiting at the bus stop in the dark in the winter isn't good, not to mention having to walk to the bus stop. They will be waiting at the bus stop in total darkness. As mentioned by a previous poster, they tried this in 1974. I was in college at the time. The school had the bright idea of starting classes at 7:30 a.m. that semester. It was dark when I got to school and I remember watching the sun come up while sitting in biology class. No, it may be alright for summer, but it is a bummer in winter!
5 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
HicoKid 7/16/2026 11:39:02 AM (No. 2128947)
We managed just fine before DST. Adjust your schedule according to the day instead of what the clock says.
0 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
red1066 7/16/2026 11:45:43 AM (No. 2128949)
As I've said before, I don't really care about it getting dark at 4:30 in the afternoon in the winter. However, my issue is with it still being dark at 8:30 in the morning. At 8:30am, it needs to be light out. You think it's tough getting kids out of bed now, wait until you try getting them out of bed for school when there is still three hours before the sun comes up. Also, will the clocks still change automatically like they do now. Like someone else has said, people who have an issue with spring forward fallback time change need to get a life.
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
montwoodcliff 7/16/2026 11:56:23 AM (No. 2128957)
I want Standard Time. If you want tho be an hour ahead, move to Prince Edward Island. IMHO, our circadian rhythms are fixed biologically. It won't adjust with moving clocks an hour ahead, even in six months. Morning daylight awakens you and you get an early start in the day. Don't mess with Mother Nature! Keep the US on EST!
3 people like this.
They don't actually rebut the argument that permanent standard time would be healthier than permanent daylight savings time.
1 person likes this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
kono 7/16/2026 12:24:51 PM (No. 2128968)
This invites readers to adopt a logical perspective and reject our illogical habits of thought. It kind of kneecaps its own claim to being entirely rational, by ending with a point devoid of logic:
"The problem is that if Congress doesn’t pass the Sunshine Protection Act, it will never get around to passing any other change, which means we will be stuck with the twice-annual clock-switching madness."
0 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
DVC 7/16/2026 12:34:39 PM (No. 2128976)
Re the quotation provided by #14.....it is not at all "madness" to have the minor, temporary inconvenience of resetting clocks twice a year.
1 person likes this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Maggie2u 7/16/2026 12:40:25 PM (No. 2128981)
I like how they just casually mention and make fun of children that would have to walk to school in the dark. When we went to all year daylight savings time for one year quite a few children were killed just 'walking to school in the dark.' Now of course, more children are bused than back in the 70's but it's still dangerous for them to be waiting for the bus in the dark.
2 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
athina 7/16/2026 1:02:26 PM (No. 2128990)
i believe the major argument against permanent DST is not to keep changing the clocks - we are tired of that as well - but to have permanent standard time. Just like we always did.
1 person likes this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
JimBob 7/16/2026 1:04:12 PM (No. 2128992)
I was in high school in 1974 when they tried year-round Daylight Savings Time.
It was a Disaster!
So many people complained so loudly that the Congress changed it back in just a couple of months. LIGHTNING SPEED for this glacial Federal bureaucracy!
You think there are a lot of complaints now about having to change the clocks twice a year?
You Just WAIT and see what happens if this gets passed!
1 person likes this.
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