07/02/08 America Slowing Down

Now here is a plan I think we could all "work" with, a four day work week. Utah state workers will be switching to a four day, ten hour work week beginning in August in order to save energy and money. The "Working 4 Utah" program will close 1,000 buildings through the state on Fridays, and approximately 3,000 metric tons in carbon emissions will be cut. They may also discover that the four day work week could actually increase employee productivity. In fact, the same idea might work well for school districts that are now crunching dollars in other areas in order to continue providing busing for students. It has been proven that students actually perform better with a school day that's based on a 9 to 4 or 5pm schedule. In the same vain, businesses might entertain going back to being closed on Sundays. Our 24/7 mindset could be on the way out. Americans in an effort to save energy and money may find themselves revisiting their past by returning to a slower pace. And would that really be such a bad thing?