I never blamed it on mainline when I was at the regionals and I don't now either. It's an easy scape goat to say it's up to mainline to fix it. I say pilots shouldn't get into an industry that has become so cut throat in racing to the bottom. No one complained about the wages when we entered the industry and the pay was no where close to as high as it is now. It's about as invalid as a chicken or the egg debate to say that "only mainline pilots" can fix the mess that has become the regional airline. I wouldn't pursue the career if I was just starting out. Problem is there are still tons of pilots schools with SJS students who can't wait to fly the mighty RJ's. I say that is the problem. The bottom line is the well was poisioned a long time ago and there is really no fixing it.