My entire problem isn’t with this phrase. I find it optimistic and live by receiving those second or fiftieth chances to start fresh and new. The issue I have is the time that the daggum sun comes up so blooming late. Don’t get me wrong. I love DST (Daylight Savings Time) because in my youth it meant that the time outside was a lot longer. Summer time on the water or at the courts was extended and it even meant we could squeeze in another 18 after our first round. So, before you think I am fussing please understand that I do like it. Here is my rub. Why do I want to have it all year round? When we have regular Eastern Standard Time, we have great mornings. Those sunrises are just spectacular. This morning, I was leaving the barn after 7:15 and the sun was just starting to creep up. There is nothing wrong with this, but everything has its season. If we have this time for our entire year, what do we really gain?
There are many things that piss me off about our national and state legislatures but tonight it is all about the state issue. Unbelievably, this idea of having DST for the entire year has made it to the governor’s desk for signing. Really, this is the top issue affecting our state currently? I won’t even touch on the current hot button topic because it is an emotional powder keg that needs to simmer with rational thought and millions of lobby dollars on either side. Instead I will just focus on this lunacy of making a made-up time system our forever time system. It would fit. We are the state that is the butt of jokes throughout the country. People know us for three things. One is Disney, two is Miami, and three is weird crimes. Just Google it. For God’s sake, between meth mouth crimes, housing pet gators, eating people’s faces off, we have made quite a name for ourselves. Now, we want to use a made-up time so that people (tourists) can spend more daylight hours outside. Please don’t think this is nothing more that a political move to increase tourism for our visitors. I know, we rely on those tourism dollars, so we can stay afloat as a state. Some weird ass pest has destroyed our citrus, other countries have figured out how to grow the same things we do less expensively, and businesses are contracting or moving off shore. I get all that. So, what you are telling me is that if we have this new time for the entire year, we will get more tourist interaction and that will mean my state will be even better? Awesome, so my roads will be fixed and fluid? Our teachers and police officers will get great raises and be able to work in inviting environments? Oh yeah, when the CEO from Acme, Inc. comes to visit the beaches and the big mouse, he will be so enamored that he will make a billion-dollar commitment and move his entire business here. Well, that would be awesome. If that is the case, heck, let’s really go crazy. Let’s just take Pacific time and let everyone stay out until 10pm at the beach. We can make it to mid-morning in the dark.
I am not bitter at all about this stupid piece of legislation. The fact that I wrote piece of legislation is enough to see my point. There aren’t more urgent things we need to deal with in the Sunshine State? Our traffic sucks, our public services are in shambles, our teachers want to quit, and there aren’t enough high-quality jobs available in one of the largest states in the greatest country in the world, but we have a bill to change our time on the Governor’s desk. This fact speaks volumes of the current state of government. There is no anger at all. It is actually quite amusing. We spend so much time yelling at one another from our right post or left post that we forget most things happen when we compromise somewhere near the middle. We all have our thoughts and that is what makes us great. Instead of looking at this idiotic piece of legislation we still want to argue our points to an ear numb public. We should force our legislators to work on genuine issues instead of fake time gains. Really, there are things that we want done that can make real change. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise though. Our greatest enjoyment comes from watching fake real television shows and listening to pundits on our side spout their money-making verbiage. Think about it. Television execs make their money by putting out products we demand. We demand fake television. Right-wing and left-wing pundits have made millions because they figured out that their segment of followers would support them. This led to lucrative endorsements. Heck, if you paid me millions, I might believe that having a stupid fake time system would be perfect for our great running state.
As I have stated a couple of times, there is no anger in this little post at all. It is really just entertaining. There are so many people who don’t pay attention to anything except their next pay check and which Friday night establishment has the best Happy Hour that they forget that there are people in Tallahassee, that they elected, well at least a few did, who are determining their future. They will bitch and moan when it affects them, but at that point it is too late. Oh well, peace be unto you all. And just remember, the sun will come out tomorrow. It just may be a few hours later.
Photo by Daniel Chen on Unsplash
Photo by Patrick Brinksma on Unsplash
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