In Washington, D.C., a city known for its prolific use of deceptive euphemisms, the “Sunshine Protection Act” may well set a new standard for the use and abuse of Orwellian labeling.

Otherwise known as H.R. 139, the bill to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent was passed this July in the House of Representatives with rare bipartisan support. Sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), more than half the Democrats in the House (114) joined 193 Republicans in voting 308-117 in favor of the legislation.

It’s now in the Senate’s hands, which won’t be back in session until after Labor Day. Thankfully, its fate remains uncertain. If passed, President Donald Trump has vowed to sign it into law. He should not.

Try as hard as they may, no act of Congress or presidential order will “protect” sunshine or extend daylight. It’s a cosmic impossibility and downright silly to suggest otherwise. Whether we’re on DST or Standard Time, Colorado Springs receives the least daylight in December (approximately 9 hours and 30 minutes) and the most in June (14 hours and 50 minutes). For Wednesday, August 19, we’ll get 13 hours and 31 minutes.

The semiannual tradition of changing the clocks in the fall and spring has been controversial ever since it was first enacted in 1918 as a wartime energy-saving measure. The federal government claimed the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day would cut down on the use of oil, gas and electric power. At the time of its passage, Senator William Calder of New York suggested it would save one million tons of coal per year.

As it happened, Senator Calder’s projection proved to be conservative. Officials have estimated the savings were 1.25 million tons per year. Of course, that was then and this is now. Over a century later, how we light, heat and cool things is dramatically different. Lighting is far more efficient and uses less energy while heating and cooling use far more. Usage has also changed. By some estimates, DST results in more energy consumption rather than less.

Back in 1918, farmers were the first to oppose the change. That’s because neither animals nor crops pay attention to clocks but rather sunrises and sunsets. Agricultural professionals don’t have the luxury of sleeping in or playing along with the governmental time-change charade.

By now you’re well familiar with the arguments for and against permanent DST. Its strongest advocates are weary of the twice-annual seasonal change, are sensitive to the disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms it allegedly brings about and are eager for the extra daylight it would bring year round at the end of the day.

I’ve never understood the consternation the semi-annual change elicits. If you’re that concerned about “losing” an hour of sleep, all you need to do is go to bed an hour early on that Saturday night each spring when clocks are moved forward. But the answer to those frustrations isn’t to make DST permanent; it’s to make Standard Time permanent and year-round.

How can we be so certain?

Back in 1974, Congress made DST year-round – and the American people hated it. In some parts of the country in January, the sun didn’t rise until close to 9 a.m. In Colorado Springs, January sunrises were as late as 8:18 a.m. Children were walking or waiting at bus stops in the dark. Permanent Daylight Saving Time turned into Daylight Disaster Time. Eight students were killed on their way to classes in Florida, and others lost their lives in Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and California.

A year after it was implemented, Congress voted to repeal the tragically failed experiment. Watching this current fiasco unfold, I’m reminded of one of the many observational gems from the great Dr. Thomas Sowell, the award-winning economist and social theorist. He famously noted, “One of the most important reasons for studying history is that virtually every stupid idea that is in vogue today has been tried before and proved disastrous before, time and again.”

To be blunt, permanent Daylight Saving Time is a stupid idea. It may solve one problem (frustrations associated with semiannual changes) but it creates numerous new ones – and potentially deadly ones.

It’s an old English proverb that “Time and tide wait for no man.” So, here’s a suggestion: Rather than changing the clock to fit our schedule, why not change our schedules to fit the sun?

Paul J. Batura is a local writer and founder of the 4:8 Media Network. He can be reached via email at Paul@PaulBatura.com or on X @PaulBatura.