It’s Daylight Saving Time once again and Alaskans are divided over the law

House Bill 19 would repeal Daylight Saving Time in Alaska. It’s made some progress, but apparently isn’t getting much attention from the state Senate, stuck in multiple committees and far from moving forward to the governor’s desk.

Being independent folks for the most part, many Alaskans see saving daylight an exercise in futility, if not outright government intrusion.

Saturday night most of us will change our clocks and watches so we wake up Sunday morning the same time as the rest of America, except Arizona and other pockets of resistance in the Lower 48.

In doing so, we will spring forward, losing an hour of sleep. It is Sunday, so maybe on the day of rest we can absorb the difference and still be wide awake for work Monday morning.

The biggest complaint from the resistance, though, isn’t a loss of sleep; it’s the concept of needing another hour of daylight when spring is upon us and the near-endless hours of sunlight of an Alaska summer. If there’s a place in the United States that doesn’t need an extra hour in the summer it’s here.

People who do business Outside will say that not being aligned with other states hampers enterprise. Well, even with the time change, we are still four hours behind New York and one behind the West Coast. Does one hour make that much difference in a day when so much is accomplished via electronic communication? This has become a nation of Blackberries, iPhones and Droids. The world of commerce and entertainment is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week communication stream.

Alaska Airlines just announced passengers can get a boarding pass by using their phones, as well as in-flight Internet access, a growing trend for airlines. With the right equipment, you can book an aisle seat from bed at midnight, or upgrade to business class, or switch flights from the local watering hole.

It’s time Daylight Saving Time goes the same route Alaska’s four time zones did many years ago.

Standard time is the more natural way of organizing our lives. It’s based on the sun moving from east to west. Obviously, that movement is starkly different here than most other places, but at least something we can count on.

But don’t hold your breath, because the Legislature is not moving on HB 19. Maybe somebody should start a petition to get this timely question on the October ballot and see where the people stand.