“Daylight saving time starts this weekend?  I thought we were supposed to get rid of daylight saving time. Like, years ago.”

That came up in discussion this week in the Signal Cleveland newsroom. It’s not a new conversation. America has been debating the value of turning clocks backward and forward for years.

The United States first started observing daylight saving (no ‘s’) time in 1918 although the time change was first used in 1908 in Canada to save energy and make better use of daylight.

Now daylight saving time is used in more than 70 countries. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another.

Here in Ohio, we should turn our clocks back on Sunday at 2 a.m. For most of us, the change will happen automatically on our digital devices. For folks with an analog timepiece, experts suggest you change your clocks before you go to bed Saturday night.

We don’t have to live like this

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida this week made another push for the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, which would establish daylight saving time as “the new, permanent standard time.” The bill has 36 co-sponsors in the U.S. House (almost all Republicans) and 18 in the Senate (an almost equal number of Republicans and Democrats).

“It’s time to lock the clock and stop enduring the ridiculous and antiquated practice of switching our clocks back and forth,” Rubio said. In a previous statement from his office, Rubio argued that ending the tyranny of clock changes would:

• Reduce car crashes and car accidents involving pedestrians and wildlife.

• Reduce risk for cardiac issues, stroke and seasonal depression.

• Reduce childhood obesity and increase physical fitness.

• Reduce energy usage.

In the Senate, the bill was assigned to a committee last year, but it hasn’t advanced at all in the House. The Senate accidentally passed an earlier version of the bill in 2022.