So, in essence the quote is fundimentally wrong. Laws are fine as long as the benefits outweigh the cons - and that itself is down to individual view on the subject.
Not quite. I think benjemen franklin was basing his comments on a larger scale when he wrote the quote. I've interpted that any laws taking away fundmental national rights such as those we've stated in the constitution to deal with some threat is wrong. However even Locke (who the founders relied heavily on) that man was governed by certain natural rules or morals. Governments when considering laws should always aim for those that gurrentee the most rights.