"When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators"

This quote by P. J. O'Rourke is a commentary on the power of money in politics. It suggests that when laws are produced to manage the buying and selling of goods and services, the very first people to gain from these laws are the legislators themselves. This implies that lawmakers are more likely to pass laws that benefit their own interests, rather than the interests of the general public. This quote is a reminder that money can be an effective influence in politics, and that it is necessary to be knowledgeable about the capacity for corruption when money is included. It also functions as a warning that laws must be produced with the general public's benefits in mind, instead of those of the legislators.