No time for disastrous Daylight Saving editorial

To the editor,

Since we recently completed the twice-a-year ritual of changing our clocks — ahead in the spring and back in the fall — your Nov. 9 editorial (“Daylight Saving Time debate is pointless political theater” was of particular interest to us and there are several included statements and conclusions we want to comment on.

You stated that “once Daylight Saving Time ends (which it did this year on Nov. 1) and shaves an hour of daylight off the end of each day, the reality of another cold, dark winter starts setting in quickly.” This statement is factually in error. No daylight is lost or gained by changing our clocks. The amount of daylight that our latitude receives is unaffected by our clock settings. The hour you state is “lost” at the end of the day is gained at the beginning of the day. In any event, when we are losing about five minutes of daylight per day at this time of the year, any added benefit a person may receive in the evening or morning is lost in less than two weeks.

You also claim that the state, in its relations with the East Coast, would “sometimes find itself four hours behind, and other times five. This, in itself, should be confusing and problematic enough for businesses and individuals to oppose the change.” We have traveled extensively to other states, especially Hawaii, that do not observe Daylight Saving Time and note that they seem to be able to function nicely with the rest of the United States in both their business and personal affairs. Also, we have lived in Alaska long enough to remember when Alaska had different time zones (three as we recall) and we survived without undue difficulty. Aren’t today’s Alaskans able to adjust as residents of other states and earlier Alaskans were able to do? We think they are.

Your discussions of the political aspects of this effort are beyond our experience and we will not comment on them except to say that we disagree with the underlying theme that Alaskans are stuck with Daylight Saving Time so they should quit trying to change the situation.

We support Rep. Wes Keller’s efforts in this matter and hope that Daylight Saving Time will soon become a part of our past instead of remaining in our present and future. In our opinion, the Daylight Saving Time concept really doesn’t apply much in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

John and Judy Raynor

Wasilla