Maine Is In The Eastern Time Zone.....Right?

For now, anyway. I heard a blurb on Maine Things Considered the other day and finally got around to posting this. Rep. Kevin Glynn (R-South Portland) is proposing a bill to move Maine from the Eastern Time Zone to the Atlantic Time Zone, citing increased economic and health benefits. (That's if I remember the quote from Maine Things Considered correctly. I also couldn't seem find a copy of the bill text, it's LR-518. Link to Kennebec Journal article.)

It would seem to me that changing time zones would cause more economic havoc than good. Sure, having an extra hour of daylight would be good for the Ski Companies and after-school activities, but being an hour different from the rest of the Eastern Seaboard could mess up commerce in general, travel, tourism, etc. Whatever.

I'm not sure what it would do for general health, either. Let people be out and about later, maybe. And keep kids a little safer in (and allow more time for) after-school activities. But on the other hand, right now the sun is just up when elementary school kids are out waiting for the bus at 7.30 or so. However, if we move an hour ahead, it will be as light at 7.30 as it is now at 6.30, which is not very.

I just don't really get it. The bill to make Moxie our state drink, that's one thing - but being the only state on Atlantic Time? (Ok - so it's not as weird as Maine Time.) Bragging rights, that's what we get. Why can't we just brag about Moxie?