[right-wing agnostic]

For those of you unfamiliar of the origins of daylight-saving time, I think this is worth a read./rwa

[LukeL]

Staying up till 2AM to change my clocks is always a real bummer.

[Politicalkiddo]

I’ve heard this is one of his tongue-in-cheek writings.

[Albion Wilde]

One of the greatest men of arts, science and letters in all Western history:

[Brother Cracker]

[Billthedrill]

Your readers, who with me have never seen any signs of sunshine before noon, and seldom regard the astronomical part of the almanac, will be as much astonished as I was, when they hear of his [the sun's] rising so early; and especially when I assure them, that he gives light as soon as he rises. I am convinced of this.

Well, OK, so much for "early to bed, early to rise". I too have often wondered about the apparent association between the sun and light in the sky, but as we all know, correlation is not causation.

Another thing I learned from this is how much the average family used in the way of candles back then, and from current experimentation courtesy of the power company, how little light they really give. How gratified Franklin would be to see us flick a switch on the wall and tell him, "Remember that key on the kite? You can read all night like this for the cost of less than a candle."

And have him reply, "Yes, and you can party and chase women, too..."

[Carl Vehse]

Further evidence that Paris party animal Ben Franklin was writing a satire can be seen in his other tongue-in-cheek recommendations:

1. Tax windows with shutters;
2. Place guards be placed in wax and tallow shops of to prevent families buying more than one pound of candles per week;
3. Outlaw coaches in the street after sunset other than of physicians, surgeons, and midwives; and
4. At sunrise ring church bells or let cannons be fired to awake the sluggards who woujld sleep in daylight.

[Tupelo]

An old very wise Indian once said,”Only a white man would cut two inches off the bottom of a blanket, sew it to the top and tell everyone he had lengthened the blanket.”

[mrsmith]

Sure, changing to DST is a good idea. He persuades with reason and humor.

Notice he does not advocate changing back and forth.
That would be stupid...

[SkyDancer]

I read it started with WW1 and was called War Time so the farmers had more daylight .... or something.

[reed13k]

Personally Daylight savings time is a waste of effort. If the issue is that the summer allows for more light then fine - adjust the clocks 1/2 an hour and leave em there - either way if you need to be up or down when the sun is you’ll be up or down when the sun is - without concern as to what the clock says. Just a way to demonstrate that people can control others if you ask me.