“You know, Mr. Rearden, there are no absolute standards. We can’t go by rigid principles…we’ve got to…act on the expediency of the moment.”
Bill, the above can also be applied to laws that are currently used against people, based on a completely subjective interpretation.
We can’t go by rigid principles as it were.
For example: as it now stands, as long as someone “feels” they’re working in a hostile environment, they have the ability to sue for compensation.
A lot of sexual harassment is subjective. It’s amazing how much trouble one can get in based on the opinion of the person claiming harassment.
Sadly, if one presses forward with a claim in either of the above, more than likely, they will be offered a settlement, known as “cost of defense.” (My ladyfriend is a legal secretary, she probably has lost count of the number of cases she’s seen settled in just such a manner)
Hank Rearden is in a “cost of defense” position. He could have allowed the government to “buy” his metal and government would let him alone. Instead of paying, though, Hank chose to fight.
So, since there is always a price to be paid when one doesn’t play the game by the rules set by government, what price is Hank going to pay down the road? What price will government exact for his non-cooperation?
And hate crimes (a really really stupid idea in the first place). The laws are written neutral and supposedly criminalize crimes motivated by “gender, race, creed, sexual orientation, etc.” But you notice they almost never (I think I’ve heard of it being done once) charge as a hate crime if the vic is a white straight male Christian, and the perp is a black Muslim lesbian, only the other way around. Interpreting the law on the spot to fit the desired outcome, much as you’ve described.
(Fist stuffed firmly in mouth) - you are so right. I just re-read that chapter. Let's just say that it's very much in character for the guys doing it.
I'm doing my best to stay only a couple of chapters ahead this time through so I won't pepper the thread with spoilers, and it's getting harder and harder. I can see why people give up on the novel - it's taken, what, 500 pages to get the characters in place and the plot established to where you actually can anticipate move and counter-move. But we're there at last. The novel is like one of Dagny's trains, slow to pick up speed and impossible to stop once it does.