Especially since they so often land jobs for themselves and their kids with the people that lobby them.

Kirsten Sinema got a job as a senior lobbiest after her short congressional stint.

Synema is a particularly fun example because you can tell where her loyalties laid from her voting record.

Ah yes, the free market

Healthy competition, the free market has resolved the issues of overpriced bribes. /s

I'm surprised that politicians haven't established burdensome and expensive professional compliance and licensure requirements for their own trade to restrict upstart competition. Every other trade pays them to implement the same so it's not like they're not familiar with how to do it.

No need: campaign financing, low turnout, and incumbent bias are all substantial barriers to entry.