The Cry Wolf Quote Bank chronicles the false predictions and hyperbole by opponents of these laws and protections. While the issues and specific policies change over time, the rhetoric and themes remained the same. You can search the Quote Bank for what opponents said to prevent these laws from passing. Using the drop down menus on the right their statements by issue, by specific law, by who said it and by the core themes they evoke. Elsewhere on the site, you can find articles, studies, and other material that debunks their claims.
[The proposed bloodborne pathogen standards are] too expensive, a waste of resources and overkill.
Be prepared for the creation of an intrusive bureaucracy to police the ordinance by examining the books and payroll ledgers of businesses…
If the proposed ordinance is adopted it will hurt small women- and minority-owned businesses the most, the majority of which are already struggling mightily to do business in this city of higher-than-average costs of doing business.
The loony-tuners are at it again. The cost of doing business in Oakland is already about the highest in the state. Compared with other cities, adoption of the proposed [living wage] ordinance will drive the cost off the charts.
Minimum wage laws may very well be the most anti-poor laws envisioned by modern government policymakers.
[The treaty will cause] soaring production costs and significantly higher driving costs — through rationing schemes, energy taxes or other mechanisms with comparable effect.
The economic impact would be devastating for the United States. We would see the loss of millions of jobs, entire industries would flee to other countries, our people would face higher fuel costs, higher taxes, leading to lower productivity and a lower standard of living.
[Automakers stated that the treaty would] increase gas prices 50 cents a gallon, boost the price of electricity 20 percent and raise the cost of making cars.
These regulations, taken in combination with other pending requirements, will have serious affects on the petroleum industry, the economy, and the nation--reducing investment in capacity and new technologies, making domestic refiners less competitive in the global marketplace, increasing imports of refined products by up to 500,000 barrels per day, increasing consumer prices for products such as gasoline and heating oil, and reducing industry employment.
By forcing employers to pay higher wages for entry-level jobs, Boston's City Council is also encouraging them to only hire applicants with the skill levels needed to match those wages. No amount of political grandstanding is going to repeal that economic law.