For that matter, does 1000 hours in a harrier qualify you as an experienced airline pilot?

The argument goes both ways. Airline pilots are not paid to fly as much as a CFI is. Airline pilots are paid to hand fly until the autopilot kicks in, from that point they are paid to be there and know what to do if something goes wrong.

In reality, the scale should be not straight up, it should start at say $30/hr and then around year 7-8 level off until year 10 or so and then begin to increase again. This promotes transitioning to the majors around year 7 or 8, rewards high-time, high-seniority captains that stick around and also provides a boost to new guys so that they are not living twenty five to a two bedroom apartment.