So is there too much govt if there's a new law dictating how you take a crap?

the federally mandated toilet which, in compliance with the Energy Policy Act (1992), flushes--or attempts to fl ush--its meager supply of 1.6 gallons

of water. And in the shower, it is possible (although statistically unlikely) that you are one of those lucky Americans who has recently installed a "luxury" shower fixture that features a wide head and multiple nozzles that spray and squirt and otherwise bathe you in a therapeutic avalanche of H2O.

If so, you might want to consult your lawyer. For the U.S. Department of Energy, in its newfound zeal to persuade citizens to conserve water, is enforcing the provision of the aforementioned Energy Policy and Conservation Act which requires that a showerhead deliver no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute at a fl owing water pressure of 80 ounds per square inch. Got that?

Until recently, manufacturers understood "showerhead" to mean a device that showers water onto a bather, and each nozzle was considered to be a

separate component in compliance with the 2.5-gallon requirement.

But the Obama Energy Department, and its general counsel, Scott Blake Harris, have decided otherwise, and are levying substantial civil penalties

on manufacturers of "luxury" showerheads.

So far, the heavy hand of the DOE has fallen on manufacturers only.

But just as it is a violation of federal law for a homeowner to install a 3.5-gallon, pre-Al Gore toilet in the bathroom of his private home, THE SCRAPBOOK assumes that the Obama administration will soon require citizens to bathe in compliance with its mandatory showerhead regulations.

Or face prosecution. "Did Congress limit consumer choice?" asks Mr. Harris in the Wall Street Journal. "Absolutely. When you waste water, you waste energy."

Get ready for Sheryl Crowe mandates on toilet paper. Fo the public good, you see.