"To your point about freezing at the bus stop," Ellen replied, "With Daylight Time, all folks need to do is start school at 8:30 or 9, instead of 7:30. Shivering kids in the dark no more. Anyway, many kids carpool nowadays in toasty warm cars." She raised a hand. "And before you say it. Make teaching more efficient or make the school day longer. If it gets dark at 6 instead of 5, kids can get out at 4 and have two hours on the soccer field. And parents don't have to race out of the office or arrange for after school day care or supervision to pick their kids up."
"And make work more efficient, too," Maureen added. "I mean, how about a real 9 to 5 schedule at work. With a half hour lunch, that's"um"35 Â ½ hours a week. Tell me that your company will go under if employees are more efficient and don't "mark time" starting at 8 am to watch the clock.
"Hah," John complained. "My last precinct used to dock me if I came in at 8:01."
"You make a good argument. With the pandemic, we've learned a lot about making work work better," said Bob. "If they need those extra 4 Â ½ hours a week, they can be virtual in many cases. When they can't be remote, schools that start at 9 could have "morning care" at 8 am before class, rather than day care after school."
Ellen nodded. "I have to admit that even if I have to drive in the dark, I prefer if it's morning. Dawn light starts before sun-up, and it brightens my morning drive. Plus it's cheering to think that the sun will be out by the time I get to the office. Under standard time, sunset and twilight are gone before I leave my desk. Now that's depressing."
"I'd feel safer letting my kids walk to school in the morning in dawn, and coming home before sunset with daylight savings time. Lots of bad guys are around in the evening, but I've rarely heard of that level of crime at 7 am," offered Maureen.
John laughed, "Our Chief says 'bad guys' like to sleep in."
"They're not the only ones," Bob agreed. "If we go to standard year-round, the danged sunlight will wake me up at before 6 on the weekends and in the summer. We've never found a set of blackout curtains that doesn't let light seep through and get you up outside of a hotel. I mean awake."
"Glad for that clarification, Bob," said John. "Bottom line, we don't need 6 hours of dark to be able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour at night. And we don't need sunlight before 6 am--ever. So, I guess if they start schools, and maybe work, a bit later; daylight savings time helps morning commutes, offers more play and safety time in the afternoons, reduces energy costs, and gives more people a chance to see a little sun in the winter. And, if the farmers don't mindhey, where are you all going?"
"You live in town," Bob said. "We'd better get home soon because wake-up time is an hour earlier tomorrow. Spring forward. You should get some rest yourself tonightmore accidents on the Monday after the time change from jetI mean, highwaylag. Talk about health, this back and forth twice a year isn't doing us any health favors. So, count me in, Daylight Savings Time year-round!"
The others in unison. "It's about time!"
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