Greetings. In the "can't we just leave well enough alone" department, the House energy committee has voted to accept an energy bill amendment that would extend daylight-saving time by two months.

I'm in general a fan of DST and if all else were equal I'd probably endorse such a proposal. But the reality is that darker winter mornings are a hazard and problem for many, including farmers and children. Also, just when we finally have most of our software systems handling their dates properly post-Y2K, changes to DST timing would throw unmodified software all out of sync again.

And that's not to mention the other devices -- fax machines, VCRs, and all manner of other equipment, that now know how to handle DST changes automatically, but would be completely thrown off by alterations in the DST dates.

This new amendment is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, who is the same person who authored the 1986 legislation that added three weeks to DST back then (and that we still observe today).

But one gets the impression that Markey may still be a tiny bit confused about how this stuff really works, given his statement regarding his new DST extension effort:

"In addition to the benefits of energy savings, less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity, daylight savings just brings a smile to everybody's faces. We all just feel sunnier after we set the clocks back."

Try to remember, Ed. It's "Spring forward, Fall back."

--Lauren--