i asked this astute question on the Sonlight forums in the Spring, and my surprising answer was :

"The idiot was Benjamin Franklin!"

oh well...when one is classified as a genius, i guess people think every thought that wisps it's way through his brain is pure gold...well this one definately isn't, has never been, and willnever be a good idea!

he obviously didn't worry about his young kids being up at the crack of dawn with nothing to do but fight with each other  since he probably either was up himself, or made his wife get up and take care of them

he obviously didn't worry about his young children going to sleep at 4:42 PM and missing dinner since he probably had his dinner already, and had gis kids tucked in already...or he let his wife worry about that too

(he IS the one who said "Early to bed and early to rise", right?)

i never have understood the subtle beauty of the DST system...and i doubt most Americans don't either judging by the amounts of reminders, grumbling and complaining i have heard all week. What's wrong with keeping ONE time ALL year long? i doubt it makes that much of a difference...the Time Zones is a much better invention anyway, and it seems to work around the whole entire Earth! I'll be ol' Ben didn't think of that idea!

does anyone else think that DST ought to be abolished completely, or am i the lone voice of reason in this issue? i think that the next Supreme Court nominee should be asked their views about this, and be duly media thrashed if they agree with DST

oh well...i'm off to catch a nap since we have been up since 5AM, which was REALLY 4 AM...Ben Franklin can not fool me!

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Posted by joexandxkim

I've been up since 4:30, and was ready for bed last night at 7. I say we just refuse to change our clocks! Won't work, huh?! shoot.

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Posted by asformeandmyhouse

We just looked this up ourselves recently! Funny thing is, while Franklin was credited with it, my understanding is it was not really meant seriously on his part!

Here are a couple of comments:
"At the age of 78, in a moment of whimsey, Benjamin Franklin wrote An Economical Project, a discourse on the thrift of natural versus artificial lighting. He included several funny regulations that Paris might adopt to help."
and
"As he neared the end of his long tenure as American delegate in Paris, Benjamin Franklin felt his years. Gout and gallstones hampered his movements and left him virtually confined to his house in the Parisian suburb of Passy. Such restrictions to a man of Franklin's dynamic and social nature would have been vexing indeed had he not the company of close friends, men like Antoine Alexis-Francois Cadet de Vaux, editor of the Journal de Paris, who encouraged him to work on simple, yet important, problems. To show his appreciation to these comrades, Franklin penned a series of bagatelles for their amusement.

One such piece took the form of a letter to the Journal de Paris concerning the economy of lighting in the home, which Franklin wrote after attending the demonstration of a new oil lamp. In it, he parodied himself, his love of thrift, his scientific papers and his passion for playing chess until the wee hours of the morning then sleeping until midday."

all found here: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin.html

And how about this for our tax dollars at work?
"On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday of March and end the first Sunday of November. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. Congress retains the right to revert the Daylight Saving Time back to the 2005 time schedule once the Department of Energy study is complete."

http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html

While I hate this transition back, I really do prefer "standard time" - so to the above, my response is UGH!

Enjoy your nap --- we'll need one after lunch!

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Posted by hippiechyck

and since we are all on "sugar overload" there will be no napping in Mudville today...heeehehehe! and i don't care which one they adopt i wish they would chose ONE and stay there!

wait till i see Ben in Heaven...

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Posted by Anonymous

OK get this. Our time change has DONE NOTHING for us at ALL! In fact today we had lunch at 2pm. Which, of course, in unchanged time is actually 3! SO tell me what happened there will ya?????

Lyn (who is too lazy to login) from Whimsical Dreams

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Posted by GabbieMaster

I hate the time change!! I was up at 6:00 am this morning...which was 7:00 according to my body...LOL

Kayla

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Posted by La Parrisianne

When we "spring forward" we always seem to forget and miss Sunday school.
I hate giving up that hour!

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Posted by TamInAz

living in Arizona . We don't participate in that time change nonsense.

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Posted by

that is more than enough reason to live there! that and SUNSHINE!!!!

(well, it's pretty in the Poconos but i hate the cold and snow!)

Edited by hippiechyck on Nov. 1, 2005 at 4:03 AM

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Posted by AslanSchool

Well, you know how I feel on the matter. Both my boys were up at the crack of dawn again this morning. BTW -- thanks for the info on Ben Franklin!

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Posted by cudltot

I cannot stand DST. I think that it stinks. I love long days(personally). I love the fact that the kids can play outside after dinner.

Chrissy

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Posted by MarinesWife

I hate changing the time too!!!! And what is up with your mouse thingie????? Get rid of the chocolate, Babs! Or better yet...hand it over to me! I'm the pregnant one! LOL

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Posted by 5solasmom

.......until I had children.

>bangs half awake head against wall<

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Posted by 4Js4HIM

I hate this changing back and forth all of the time! Get this though, my kids are sleeping later and "I" am the one who can't stay in bed. It's like at between 4-4:30am, my body is saying, okay, that's it, time to get up! And I can't go back to sleep! And it is worse at night. I can't fall asleep before 11 or 12:00. This is nuts!

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Posted by JenIG

i am SO with you sister.

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Posted by KarenW

Apparently it's a state by state thing since Arizona and Indianna don't participate. I think we all need to protest, contact officials or something. I have never talked to a single person that thinks the time change is a good idea.

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Posted by momatpeace

No wonder you don't like Ben... Ü ha ha ha... I thought it was because he'd caught you being idle.

Yeah... I agree. DLST is for the birds. Now 3b4 wakes up at 5:30. BLECK!!!! that's AM... 5:30 A.M.!!!! Hmmmpm.

Love the plaid.

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