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We’re going to side with Ben Franklin: Daylight Saving Time is a huge boon, well worth the disruptions from changing clocks twice a year.
That’s particularly true for anyone raising kids across the northern United States (and Canada), where staying on standard time all summer would mean painfully early sunrises and needlessly premature sunsets — and sticking to DST into the winter (which the nation tried in the 1970s) would mean kids heading to school in the icy dark.
This is one case where Elon Musk (“abolish the annoying time changes!”) is dead wrong, perhaps because he’s never lived in the Northeast nor ever been the parent overseeing the kids 24/7/365.
It seems he’s talked President Trump into it, too; the two billionaires should hash it out with some stay-at-home moms in (say) Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire before they go any further down this road.
DST does exactly what Franklin intended of his invention: It adjusts human convention to make the best use of the hours the sun shines.
That’s a particular issue in North America because of our climate and other factors that differ from Europe and Southern Hemisphere nations, including Musk’s native South Africa.
Children aren’t the only beneficiaries: Effectively moving sunlit hours into the evening is a plus for shopping and recreation of all kinds.
Notably (still reading, Mr. President?), each month of DST generates an estimated added $200 million to $400 million for the golf industry.
Yes, losing an hour of sleep once a year is a pain, but most clocks these days adjust themselves.
And if southern states (where day lengths vary less over the year) want to opt out, fine — but this coming weekend’s “spring forward” to DST will bring a major and life-affirming efficiency to life in these parts.
The prez and his DOGE dude should stick to the business already on their plates.