Thom Hartmann makes this point
These guys (and others like them) were operating within the law.
The real trick is to change the laws, thus the rules of the game.
Tom Sinclair
Kaylee: Wash, tell me I'm pretty.
Wash: Were I unwed, I would take you in a manly fashion.
Kaylee: Because I'm pretty?
Wash: Because you're pretty.
- "Heart of Gold", Firefly