FlyPuppy,
Your comments were right on the money! Having read your post I felt as if I had written it. I am sure the majority of qualified (f)ATPLs feel the same way. Even if one decided to go down the slippery slope of paying for a type-rating, you would find that your basic wage (possibly 12-14k) is woefully inadequate to even cover your loans let alone basic costs of living.
I know for one, that I would probably be concentrating on where I'm going to find the money to stay alive, instead of flying the a/c. I assume that it's difficult enough to get to grips with flying a new a/c type for the first few months. The last thing we need is the worry of knowing that you don't even have the price of the petrol to get you to and from work.
I appreciate the other points in favour of paying for a type-rating may appear valid. These are desperate days and most of us would do almost anything to recover out basic costs and fulfill our ambitions to fly for a living.
As Mr Spencer said, "there are old Pilots and there are bold Pilots, but no OLD - BOLD Pilots, hmmmm!!"
You never know, maybe Senior Management may have a change of heart and realise that we are PEOPLE and not just statistics. We live in hope, etc,etc.
Cheers