No matter which direction “they” force us to change our clocks it is an intrusion upon private life. Made all the worse because it is needless. All it is, is bureaucratic ritual that never should have seen the light of day.
Over the last few years, it is being reported that each change is accompanied by increases in traffic accidents and heart attacks. Hitherto, the event was rarely criticized. Also, family members and friends no longer ignore rants about the twice-a-year disruptions. Are they becoming libertarian? No just more practical. Common sense can’t be suppressed forever.
Criticism of the nonsense of arbitrary change is spreading. Importantly, this could be part of the popular uprising against in-your-face and in-your-wallet bureaucracy. Let’s hope it is successful in ending, at least, the absurd clock change. It doesn’t matter whether it is on Daylight or Standard, just so long as the monotonic dictate ends
It is said that the threat of assassination tempers the ambition of dictators. Going as far back as dynastic changes in Ancient Egypt, history records that popular uprisings can temper bureaucratic excesses. The most recent example was magnificent, with ordinary folk shutting down murderous Communism as represented by the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Whether it is in religion or government, bureaucratic ritual is difficult to end. But there are times when reform happens.
Until only a few decades ago, most rationalizations of the abomination included that it helped the farmers get the grain harvests in. As if arbitrary actually added more hours of daylight. Even Wikipedia, only a few years ago cited this nonsense. But today’s Wiki excludes this explanation and reports that farmers don’t like “Savings Time”. Quite likely, that manipulation provided more daylight hours was losing street creds anyway. So, this rationale was disappeared.
Crisis always motivates bureaucracy and the energy concerns of the early 1970s were inspirational. Indeed, the then socialist government in the Province of British Columbia was galvanized into debating the imposition of “Double Daylight Savings Time”. Debate became so intense that they almost missed the regular change.
In 2018, six New England states as well as the provinces of Alberta and B.C. talked about ending “changing the clocks”. Earlier this year, Florida, by a 32 to 2 vote, passed a bill making Daylight Time permanent.
Going into the weekend’s arbitrary imposing of changing the clocks, there is a move in the Western side of the continent to dump the nonsense. British Columbia, California, Oregon and Washington have been discussing ending the distraction. A survey in B.C. found that 93% would approve just staying on daylight time. But sadly while making sense relief will have to wait until the spring.
However, while a small issue it could be part of a bigger movement to reform excessive bureaucracy. In which case ending clock change could scare the living daylights out of the control freaks.
Bob Hoye (BobHoye.com) has been researching investments for decades, which eventually included the history of financial and political markets. He considers now to be the most fascinating time for both since the Great Reformation of the 1600s. Bob casts a caustic eye on all promotions and, having a degree in geophysics, is severely critical of the audacity that a committee can “manage” not just the economy, but also the temperature of the nearest planet. He has had articles published in major financial journals and, as a speaker, has amused assemblies in a number of cities, from London to Zurich to Tokyo.
No matter which direction “they” force us to change our clocks it is an intrusion upon private life. Made all the worse because it is needless. All it is, is bureaucratic ritual that never should have seen the light of day.
Over the last few years, it is being reported that each change is accompanied by increases in traffic accidents and heart attacks. Hitherto, the event was rarely criticized. Also, family members and friends no longer ignore rants about the twice-a-year disruptions. Are they becoming libertarian? No just more practical. Common sense can’t be suppressed forever.
Criticism of the nonsense of arbitrary change is spreading. Importantly, this could be part of the popular uprising against in-your-face and in-your-wallet bureaucracy. Let’s hope it is successful in ending, at least, the absurd clock change. It doesn’t matter whether it is on Daylight or Standard, just so long as the monotonic dictate ends
