This generation does have it easier!
The flight time for getting on with a regional is ridiculous! I paid my dues and to get on with a regional at the time, I had to have 2500 TT, 1000ME, and at least some time at a 135 operation. Now these kids are coming out of Embry-Riddle feeling entitled and cocky with the full expectation of walking into a RJ job at a regional with 250+ hours. As many of the previous posts state, you can't short experience and those 250 hour pilots jumping in to the right seat of an RJ are deer staring into headlights flying into PHL at night during bad weather. I know, I've had them over there in the right seat when I was at a regional. They can't multi-task worth a darn. In fact, you have to spoon feed them for what they can handle and you have to take on the extra slack.
I'm also a little irked also by this new proposal giving breaks to the aviation degree programs at colleges and universities. Really, those guys are better pilots than other pilots that came through good 141 schools? In fact, I taught at a 141 school where the local university sent their students for flight training! They graduate with their hot shot commercial license with an instrument rating and they think they are ready to fly lead for the Thunderbirds! Paaleeeease! Those degrees are pretty worthless and with the dynamics of this industry, they would be better served by getting a real degree in something other than aviation. At least they might be able to fall back on that real degree instead of slinging burgers when they get furloughed the first time. At the major I fly at, I've had some of those folks as interns and I've seen the cockiness first hand. These guys need to pay some dues and really appreciate what this industry is all about (while gaining valuable experience in the meantime!).
I can buy the military exemption since the fighter guys have short sorties and the military has excellent and tough training requirements.
So, there you have it...1500 hour minimum is not outside reason but it needs to be quality time as well! I would say that this whole thing is a massive knee-jerk in reacting to the outcry from the Colgan crash. Once again, our ridiculous politicians jump on to an emotional issue and legislate to gain positive notoriety where none was needed given the safety record of this industry. Amazing feat by the great regional captains we have out there covering for the rookies with very low time!