Foolishness!

(from pressherald.com)

Changing Maine's clocks from Eastern time to Atlantic time would be welcome in Sheila McFarlane's home in Houlton, where the sun wakes people early and, in the winter, vanishes long before the dinner hour.

But the idea isn't so popular at the Navy Yard Bar and Billiards in Kittery.

"That would be ridiculous," said the owner, Joe Sugden. Someone getting out of work in New Hampshire would lose an hour just driving across the bridge.

Maine lawmakers, having bounced the idea around for years, said Wednesday that voters should decide.

Members of the State and Local Government Committee unanimously endorsed a bill that, if approved by voters, would put Maine on Atlantic time along with Canada's Maritime Provinces.

The proposal would eliminate daylight-saving time, so the change would be noticeable for just five months of the year - from the end of October to the beginning of April. During that period, Maine would be an hour ahead of Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., for example. In the summer, Maine would be on the same schedule as its U.S. neighbors.

The bill now goes to the Senate and House. If it is approved, voters will decide in a November 2006 referendum. Final approval is required from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"It would be like staying on daylight-saving time year round," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Kevin Glynn, D-South Portland.

Supporters say the bill can only help - from improving economic production to creating better moods in winter. Construction crews and other businesses could work later into fall and winter evenings. And Mainers would likely save on energy bills.

Opponents say the change would create a mess - confusing visitors and isolating Maine from the rest of the eastern seaboard.

"We in the Northeast are all accustomed to the same time zone, particularly between Portland and Boston," said Patricia Douglas, spokeswoman for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority in Portland.

"I think the negatives would probably outweigh the positives," Douglas said. "Scheduling would be a nightmare."