Editor:

The proposed Daylight Act (NCJ Daily, Nov. 11), which would allow individual states to observe Daylight Saving Time year-round, while continuing to give them the option of switching back and forth between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time or staying on Standard Time year-round, is a recipe for disaster. Imagine the confusion that would ensue with a shifting checkerboard of Daylight and Standard across the nation all year, especially now that we're in the Zoomocene. In fact, we've been there and done that; from 1945 through 1966, inconsistent observance of Daylight Time across states resulted in massive confusion in the transportation and broadcasting industries. Furthermore, a recent poll showed that more Americans want to stay on Standard Time than either of the other options.

I lived in Indiana, which falls into two time zones, back in the day when it didn't observe Daylight Time. It was confusing enough having part of the state in one time zone and the other part in another, but to make matters worse counties in the Louisville and Cincinnati metropolitan areas unofficially observed Daylight Time in order to conform with those cities, which are in other states. Driving west to east across southern Indiana in summer, you'd go from CST to EST to EDT then back to EST and back to EDT again. It was a nightmare. Picture that on a national level!

I have no real objection to remaining on Daylight Time year-round, although I would miss the time changes, but I think this is a case of national interest trumping states' rights. If you agree, please write to Rep. Jared Huffman and ask him to withdraw his support for the Daylight Act.

This also gives me the opportunity to rant publicly (for a change) about society's chronic misuse of "PST," "EST," etc. Everybody seems to understand that the "S" in these acronyms stands for "Standard" but somehow fails to recognize that "Standard" means "not Daylight." The Standard Time acronyms are doggedly, blindly, obsessively used year-round even though they're inappropriate for the eight months of the year when the "S" should be replaced by "D." I think this would exacerbate the problems caused by the Daylight Act.

Ken Burton, Bayside