Congress may well consider and possibly pass legislation making Daylight Savings Time the “standard” time for the United States — again.

Too many people have forgotten (or never knew) that the US has tried year-around DST twice before, once during WW II and again in 1974. And each time, once was enough. Now, it appears that another generation will try again.

The problem here isn’t Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time, but Americans looking for the perfect single answer. The current compromise actually works better than either DST or ST being mandated year around.

With year-round DST school children in much of the nation would be going to school in the dark, as well as a greater number of workers heading to their jobs.

This tendency to seek the single perfect answer goes far beyond the question of DST or ST. It crops up in many places, if you just look. Education is infamous for seeking the “single perfect answer,” by insisting that children either be taught to read through either the phonics or “whole language” approach. Studies have shown that phonics is better for most, but far from all children, but that controversy still simmers… along with quite few other “single” mandated policies and procedures.

Abortion is another issue we continue to fight over what law should be the single “right” legal way to govern abortion, a fight that was rekindled by the Supreme Court’s rejection of Roe v. Wade (which represented what seemed to be an acceptable compromise).

So… will Congress force year-round DST to avoid the twice-yearly (and comparatively minor) discomfort of changing clocks and send millions of school children out in the dark in a vain effort to find another single perfect answer?