Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Turn Back the Clock


Yesterday on the floor of the Senate, Democratic Whip Mary Jane Garcia, D-Dona Ana, complained about Daylight Savings Time. She said the number of divorces and heart attacks rise in the days immediately following the first day of daylight savings each year.

That prompted The New Mexican's Quote of the Day from Sen. Kent Cravens, R-Albuquerque: “If you can outlaw divorce and heart attacks, you’ve got my vote.”

Maybe that's what Garcia is trying with SB716.

From her press release only minutes ago:

"Daylight savings time is a health hazard", stated Senator Garcia today.

"It causes us to suffer from sleep disruption and deprivation that is essentially jet lag. You have drivers on the road who are half asleep on their way to work in the morning. Daylight savings can also cause major computer glitches, as we saw this weekend in New Mexico when dozens of people’s unemployment claims were impacted. Should we allow an outdated concept that was started in response to the climate and politics of World War One England to continue to dictate how we do things in present day New Mexico? I am carrying this bill as a "wake up call": people need to be aware of the origins of daylight savings and how irrelevant it is to us in New Mexico."

Senator Garcia’s initiative is Senate Public Affairs Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 716: a "public peace, health, safety and welfare" measure commonly known as a "dummy bill". SPAC has indicated that it will hear the bill this Thursday, March 12.