Please ... take away some of my rights

Sometimes we need government to step in and legislate behavior. That’s just the truth. It isn’t socialism or fascism or any other ism besides realism. Individuals can’t possibly make intelligent decisions that take into account long term implication on everything they have to make decisions about. They just don’t have the time or information or money or, in my case, patience to do so. If I’m thirsty, and the only option is a plastic water bottle, I’m going to buy it and use it. I’m not going to think of the poor albatross that will someday eat part of it and die. I’m not thinking of my own exposure to chemicals. I’m thirsty. I don’t have ready access to information on what chemicals are in the bottle, or how much oil is used in its production and shipment. I don’t have enough money to buy the safest grain fed whole wheat free range water bottles. I don’t have enough time to hunt for products that are safer for me and the environment. I don’t always look past my immediate need, or my own personal needs. When many of us fail to be similarly enlightened, this doesn’t guarantee that all will work out. Acting out of uneducated and uninformed self interest isn’t going to make things better. It would be nice if someone could step in and fix some of these problems, especially since it would mean that I live longer in a more beautiful planet inhabited by more interesting animals. We have governments because they can look after our interests when it is hard for us to do so. If they don’t, Exxon and Haliburton aren’t going to. I’m really tired of this idea that it is un-American for government to use regulation to protect the environment and all us people who live in it. We have ample evidence that it doesn’t work any other way. I don’t need to be legally able to have polluted drinking water or endangered sea turtles. I’m OK if big government takes those rights away.