History is filled with examples of this going very wrong, because it turns out that everyone's "observable reality" is different, filled with bias they are blind to, and people in general are very bad at differentiating between "I saw some people doing something I don't like" and "This is a society wide issue that needs to be corrected immediately". Science, when done properly, is the antidote to that. Many things are counterintuitive and involve levels of nuance that just aren't accessible to a layman.

In spite of my comments like you I also don't believe I have to wait for experts to explain things to me or spoon-feed me opinions. I also realize that I don't have the ability to do large-scale studies and that my off-the-cuff opinions on issues really aren't worth much. I am certainly not trying to say that the way things are done today is the correct way. Like you I find that many "experts" with long lists of credentials give lackluster opinions and likely don't deserve their title. Financial interests have corrupted things etc... However, in my mind, going back to a "well its obvious to me so lets make some laws" society is a step backwards and throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When incentives are properly aligned and people act in good faith, studies and experts can certainly offer information far more accurate and better than anything I can do as an individual.