U.S. Senate Abandons Daylight Saving Plan, Citing Tweet from Guy Who Runs in the Morning
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The U.S. Senate, which passed legislation last Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent, abruptly abandoned that measure today after learning that some guy somewhere didn’t like it.
The man in question, Christian Goyer, a 45-year-old insurance claims adjuster from New Jersey, had complained on multiple social media platforms that making daylight saving time permanent would relegate him to running in the dark.
Responding to news of the legislation on Twitter, Goyer wrote, “As a year round outdoor morning runner, I hate this.”
Fake tweet
The Sunshine Protection Act, as it was called, would have ended the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Proponents said such a move would boost economic activity, alleviate seasonal depression, and reduce car crashes, which increase each year when motorists “spring forward,” losing an hour of sleep.
A statement read aloud on the Senate floor cited Goyer’s disapproval of the measure in the decision to table the Sunshine Protection Act indefinitely, effectively killing it.
“It has become clear that this widely popular legislation, which won rare bipartisan support in this chamber, would have devastating unintended consequences for someone in New Jersey who doesn’t like running in the dark,” the statement read. “We hereby table said legislation, effective immediately, with most humble apologies to Mr. Goyer.”
Reached for comment, Goyer told Dumb Runner he accepted the Senate’s apologies and wished “they would do something about the price of running shoes.”
