Haughtney,
You do talk some sense but I believe your estimate that 9 out of 10 of Chief Pilots would pay to train the experienced, well perhaps they would however it's not the CP's pulling the purse strings! If you're suggesting that 9 out of 10 airlines will type rate, on a type worth having, for free then I think you're way off beam.
I know, there are a lot of guys out there, with similar to 1200 hours or more and still they can't get a look-in unless they self-fund. You give the impression that only 200 hours guys consider self-funding, I know that to be inaccurate, in this day and age even Captains find themselves prepared to self-fund to get themselves onto a decent aeroplane.
The SSTR is not an invention of the TRO's, is it the airlines, in a dog eat dog industry, trying to reduce costs to stay in business whilst competing with each other. I hate bean-counters with a vengeance however they have more of a grip on this industry than perhaps we would like!
It's all very well to have an effective form of employee management but only if the airline can afford to stay in business!