When heiress Starnes of the Twentieth Century Motor Company instituted a policy that would pay workers according to their needs, but only require that they work according to their abilities. When John Galt heard this, he refused to accept the pay package and stormed out of the meeting room. He launched a strike by what he called “men of the spirit,” creative men who brought value to society. Many of them left their jobs and moved to the Midas Mulligan Valley, but many of them took unskilled, underpaid jobs as part of their strike. John was right to call his strike because it is not fair to expect someone to work for the good of others. As Dagny heads towards the recently destroyed Taggart Tunnel, she encounters a tramp looking for work out west. He explains to her that he worked at Twentieth Century and the impact of the new pay system on the workers. Before long, the most capable men found that they could no longer be paid for their merit, so they became the laziest and neediest in the company. Women started having more children because more children meant less work and more money...