“The Equalization of Opportunity Bill,” he said. “The Steel Unification Plan. That was the tag they used for the bill, though nobody knew what it was supposed to unify, except the output of the steel industry. What it did was nationalise the steel mills.”

Hank Rearden:

“They say it’s only temporary,” said Rearden. “They say they’ll let me run the mills and take a fair profit. But they mean to control me entirely—and they won’t let me earn what I’m worth. That’s what the bill means: they’ll own me without paying for it.”