Opinion: I hate daylight saving time, but this is not the only outdated law we live by.
———-
During one week of the year, Americans suddenly face an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, car accidents and symptoms of depression. This week, we have completed the process which, if it continues, will negatively affect millions of citizens in just over four months.
Benjamin Franklin conceptualized daylight saving time in 1784, suggesting if we simply change the clocks during the spring and summer months, then we will reduce the need to burn so many candles.
If I could go back in time and have a conversation with one famous person, I would choose this founding father and ask, “What were you thinking? Do you know the stress you are about to foist upon the nation? Do you know even when dinner by candlelight is considered intimate and romantic, your crazy initiative will continue to plague us all?”
If I were to ask the average passer-by on the street why we have daylight saving time, they would probably say something about farmers needing extra daylight during the summer to complete all they had to do before nightfall. It’s about time we stop blaming the poor farmers.
Daylight saving time began during World War I so troops could limit their need for artificial light, saving fuel. It was not formalized in the United States until 1966 and was implemented to save not candles, but modern sources of energy.
When daylight saving time was extended in 2007, energy usage was reduced by 0.5%. This may not sound like much, but according to the Department of Energy, it is equal to the amount of electricity used by more than 100,000 households for an entire year.
My challenge for this country is that we creatively cut down on energy and abolish daylight saving time, along with all of the other outdated laws we are still legally bound to. Oregon has its fair share of strange laws. In Eugene, you are breaking the law if you are in a cemetery between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. In Hines, playing the piano too loudly is illegal. And in Coos Bay, one household can only have two garage sales per year.
There are larger issues than these outdated laws. Discriminatory laws fill constitutions across the country. This week, Oregonians have the opportunity to vote on the ballot initiative to outlaw slavery and indentured servitude.
We live in a time where laws are constantly being put to the test. The Supreme Court spends its time tossing aside the gun safety laws implemented by New York and subjecting women to the whimsical decisions made by primarily male senators.
While Oregon is a very liberal state, some of the laws individuals are required to live by are extremely outdated. The surface line of these is daylight saving time. I wish to spring forward no longer and abolish falling back. Rather than changing time, let us change our perspective on what is important and prioritize protecting individuals who are neglected by our lawmakers.
