I feel largely the same. One idea I've always been a fan of is term limits for every elected office. Don't allow it to be a career option.
In my opinion the most 'bought' politicians are the ones that have been there the longest, people like Boehner and Reid. They have the most time to build up relationships with special interests and acquire power / influence to deliver deals to said interests.
With that said, I wish it wasn't the case.
I used to hold the same view. Just yesterday I decided that if it takes a significant portion of one term just to learn the ropes, things are broken. They should stop learning and start doing.
They seem to be learning the wrong lessons, anyway. They end up learning how to consolidate and maintain power-bases.
If everyone in Congress is relatively new, power will end up concentrating in the people who are in Washington for the long term: lobbyists and staffers, all unelected. Beyond that, term-limited politicians have less of an incentive to please their current employers (the electorate) and more to please potential future employers (lobbyists).