I'm fine with this, but why do referals take priority over regular job applicants?

Basically, and here is the honest answer, employers are lazy, they want a quick fix, they think just because they know someone, or one of their better employees know someone, that that person will be just as good, however, I see a lot of referrals going south quickly, especially when it comes to family and friends, people who get referred to a company often get this idea that they know someone who got them a job, and they won't have to try as hard, since they didn't have to go through the normal hiring process, which can lead to lazy employees, I've seen this happen more than anything good from referrals, just saying..