There should be government regulations (perhaps including more regulation of drinking water). But the torturous political process that is currently required to

There should be government regulations (perhaps including more regulation of drinking water). But the torturous political process that is currently required to enact those regulations is a good thing and the gist of your post, "just sweep aside all the nihilistic whiners stonewalling and fix the problem," is the wrong approach. My perspective is liberal: there are no good, simple solutions, there's no such thing as a "general will," people don't agree, have good reasons to not agree, and therefore the political squabbling, as tiring as it is, is healthy. Buried within your perspective is, I believe, the incorrect and somewhat dangerous idea that there is a way to harmonize society if only we'd grant the right powers to the right people. I think civilization is best thought of as a tragic compromise and attempts to make it something else never end well. None of that is to say you're wrong to advocate for more and better regulations. Only that there are valid reasons to argue for fewer regulations or to be skeptical about the government's ability to regulate this or that.