by Paul Jacob

Every time I have to flush a toilet twice, I think of Congress.

No, I'm not crazy. It's actually Congress's fault. Well, I may be crazy, but in this case my point is: it really is the fault of our legislative wonders in Washington.

After so many decades of we citizens taking our toilets for granted, well, Congress wandered into the toilet regulation business. And now I'm buying plungers.

Back in the '90s, Congress legislated these new-fangled low-flow toilets. And like Congress, these toilets are regularly full of...well, let's just say they...don't get the job done.

The toilets are supposed to use less water. That they do, except that folks often have to flush several times to do...well...what toilets are designed to do. Needing several flushes uses more water and wastes the most precious of all commodities: your time.

Plus, when someone fails to flush the congressionally mandated several times in my house, I'm the guy who gets called in with the plunger. (Mind you, the plunger is the exact same kind used successfully for decades. No government-mandated changes made to it, so it works like a charm.)

I suppose I could shop around for the newest toilets, which (I've been told) have improved. Or shop junk stores for the oldies. But hey: only Congress could send me to junk stores for plumbing, or have me pay more for something that worked better 20 years ago.

We have a new Congress now. Can we get back the old toilets?

Paul Jacob's "Common Sense" is published by Americans for Limited Government. Their website can be visited at www.limitedgov.org.