As I am writing this, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, intended to make Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent, is hovering in the legislative purgatory between the House and the Senate, having been passed by the former and yet to be taken up by the latter.
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By now, we’ve all heard the pros and cons of each position, whether to
- make DST permanent,
- make standard time permanent, or
- keep the current system that requires us to set our clocks forward each March and back each November.
By now, we all know, or should know, the arguments, so I won’t rehearse them here. What I will do is propose a compromise that should please — or displease — each side of the issue while relieving the nation from the necessity one would think most of us dread the most: the need, twice a year, to reset our clocks.
And I emphasize the word clocks, plural. Under the current system, I must, every March and November, change the settings on my
- watch,
- night table,
- stove, and
- car dashboard.
That’s four — count ’em, four — settings that I must change two times, every year. I am sure I am far from the only American who would like not to have to do this ever again.
So how to compromise between the pro– and anti–permanent DST people in a way that, if not delights, at least satisfies each camp, which no one can say is unfair? As in resolving so many problems, by turning to the Bible.
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We all know the famous story of the two women, each claiming to be the mother of a baby, who pleaded their cases to King Solomon. He, raising his sword, proposed to split the baby in two and give half to each woman. One of the women begged the wise king to give the baby to the other woman, thus proving herself to be the mother.
Fortunately, no babies would be involved in my compromise. What I propose instead is splitting the difference. Instead of making the current DST permanent, or moving our clocks back a full hour in November, I propose moving the clocks back one half–hour — i.e., precisely midway between standard time and DST — and making that permanent.
Moving the clock a mere half-hour gives both sides half of what they want and should not bend any reasonable person out of shape — at least, not too much.
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And more importantly, no more changing our clocks every year.
Gene Schwimmer is the proprietor of Gene Rants on YouTube.