Does this sound familiar?

First of all. I've not written anything for a bit because of a 2 job run that's going on right now. While I've been busy doing that and dealing with Alex's surgery, I've also been reading. Here's a bit from Rand's Atlas Shrugged:

It was the chance conversation of two men somewhere behind her that came beating
suddenly against her closed attention.

“But laws shouldn’t be passed that way, so quickly.”

“They’re not laws, they’re directives.”

“Then it’s illegal.”

“It’s not illegal, because the Legislature passed a law last month giving him the power to issue directives.”

“I don’t think directives should be sprung on people that way, out of the blue, like a
punch in the nose.”

“Well, there’s no time to palaver when it’s a national emergency.”

“But I don’t think it’s right and it doesn’t jibe. How is Rearden going to do it, when it says here—“

“Why should you worry about Rearden? He’s rich enough. He can find a way to do anything.”

Instructions: Replace "Rearden" with "America." Think cap and trade. Fabulous.