Get Government out of Our Bathrooms!

America's Founders never would have imagined that the government they created to protect freedom would one day be snooping even in the bathrooms of its citizens. Unfortunately, the many Americans forced to use new non-working but federally mandated toilets don't have to imagine.

In 1992, Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which outlawed the standard 3.5-gallon toilets used by most Americans and mandated new 1.6-gallon toilets. These toilets were supposed to work just as well and help save water.

But a growing number of new homeowners are discovering that the toilets often clog up and require several flushes to get the job done, raising doubts about whether they actually save water at all.

And relatively speaking, toilets don't use that much water. They account for 18 percent of household water use, and households represent just 13 percent of America's total water usage. This means that household toilets account for only two percent of all the water used in the United States.

Michigan Congressman Joe Knollenberg thinks it's time for government to butt out of our bathrooms. Congress should adopt his bill to repeal Washington's ridiculous toilet law and restore our freedom to flush.

For the Mackinac Center, this is Joseph Lehman.