Why does butter have to be so bad?

As I was cooking last night I realized that I tend to use butter pretty regularly. (Menu included mashed potatoes and corn on the cob -- each featuring a different compound butter.) It's hard to cook without it. Butter has so many excellent properties -- flavorful, malleable, great for caramelizing, finishing sauces, you name it. I like to use olive oil too, but nothing can really take the place of butter. I suppose this means I have to resign myself to a future involving either high cholesterol or less perfectly flavored (and fattened) foods.