(straw man)
One major concern of opponents to such bylaws is the economic impact the carry with them. Their argument relies on preconceived notions that economic freedom precedes growth of businesses. It is likely that this mentality arises from our own free market economy where “the power of the people” often takes precedence over the welfare of the nation as a whole. As Americans, free will imbues us, primarily dictating our actions rather than being a mere consideration. (Continue)
As an antithesis to this stigma, data supports the positive impact such regulation can have. One article mentions, given our economically free market, that any type of regulation brings with it a certain stigma of limiting freedom. Our society fosters off freedom so this limitation is perceived as almost wholly negative, while the actual effect is minimal at best (Meyer 10). Because of such a negative public image, it is difficult to pass stringent laws. A majority of environmental regulation only mildly affects economic choices. It is this huge difference between the assumed repercussions and those actually occurring which poses so many problems in legislation. Compounded with our current financial dilemma, such a perception drastically hurts chances of helping the environment. Found through statistical analysis of states with high and low levels of regulation, Meyer found that the link between high environmentalism and business failure is nonexistent (Meyer 7). The may be a surprise to some, but the general effect regulatory laws of this type have is to reallocate resources, limiting freedoms of businesses without hurting profit margin. In some cases, these laws can have positive side effects. "Annual business failure rates during the recession among states with stronger environmental policies were less than those for states with weaker environmental policies" (Meyer 8). This shows how these laws promote not just green initiatives, but an overall increase in the both productivity and effectiveness. More energy efficient alternatives, for instance, reduce overhead operation costs of businesses and increase profits by virtue of bill reduction. In the recent recession, the bank structure failed to support itself because of a lack of regulation. Utilizing freedoms allotted by the free market economy, banks loaned obscene amounts of money to unqualified lendees. When these lendees could not repay their loans, a domino effect occurred, bringing the economy crashing down around it. The very freedoms cherished by Americans caused its own undoing. It was not until the federal government took action that the economy started to recover. Additionally, the government bailed out many companies in an attempt to stabilize this downward spiral. Similarly, the lack of emissions limitation in industry is causing the slow but accelerating deterioration of our environment. Without enacting stricter forms of legislation, the freedom allotted to companies will
(reason 2: depends greatly on the type/form of regulation)
(reason 3: example great depression)