Questions

Read the following and answer the questions below:

The majority/most/all? Americans do not want to change their clocks twice a year - they either want to go back to Standard time year round, OR Daylight saving time year round.

• The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say ending time changes and staying on standard time would benefit our health because it better matches the sun and human biology.
• SaveStandardTime wrote: Sleepy drivers make morning darkness more dangerous. ...Permanent Standard Time is best for sleep, mood, health, education and safety.
• Oklahoma State Senator Blake Cowboy Stevens argues permanent DST would save money, make workers and students more productive, and better health and lifestyle.
• Arguments in favor of year-round daylight saving time include: increased evening daylight hours for outdoor activities, potential energy savings, reduced traffic accidents due to better visibility, improved safety with more daylight during typical commuting hours, potential economic benefits from increased evening activity [and shopping which helps the retail industry], and the elimination of the disruption caused by switching clocks twice a year, which can negatively impact sleep patterns. (from a Google AI overview, experimental AI)

Some comments on X:

"I don't want kids standing along the highway I take to work in the dark. Even elementary school age kids stand out there alone waiting for the bus because houses are 1/4 mile or more off the road here."

"Make it permanent Standard Time. ..that way there is still some 'evening' to enjoy after the hot sun went down in Arizona."

"Standard time. Morning sun. Wakes you up, better for kiddos going to school, and summer evening where the sun goes down before 9pm."

"Daylight Savings - I love sailing and during the summer sailing until 8pm is glorious."

"DST all year. Sun is out longer in the evenings. Love it not getting dark until 9pm in peak summer."

"Standard! The way God intended, following the sun. It's awful having to get up when it's pitch black outside during daylight savings time. Standard time is the way nature and God intended."

"I vote for Daylight Saving Time. At the end of the day when I'm leaving work, it's really nice to have some daylight for personal time. Keeps up the spirit and energy to do more stuff with family. Coming home in darkness has the opposite effect. [But] I'll take whichever time we go with as long as we stop doing it. Stop the insanity! Please!"

"In France we are at +1 in winter and +2 in summer. We are the country that consumes the most antidepressants in the world. People are stressed and angry all the time. The suicide rate is high. The educational level is poor. This system is adapted to the unemployed who get up late - but for workers who get up early it is an ordeal. A return to a natural cycle would do us all the greatest good."

1. Should the U.S. keep the same time year round (stop changing the clocks twice a year)? Explain your answer.

2. If the U.S. ends changing the clocks twice a year, should it be permanent Daylight Saving Time or permanent Standard time? Explain your answer.

3. Ask a parent #1 and #2.