Before lowering the 1500 requirement for 121s, why not lower the requirements for 135s!

With 1200 total with 500XC being the requirement for 135s, most instructors don't want to join 135s/aren't eligible and instead they spend 6 more months teaching. Similarly, most 135 carriers can't get PICs for their operations because people bail for the regionals at 1500 and the 135s can't afford training. Lowering mins for 135s is a good way of getting captains for the regionals too. Flight school - instructing for 200-500 hours - 135s - regionals - majors works well for a lot of people.

Imo the journey from 250 to 1500 is very difficult - the pay and QOL during that period is REALLY bad especially when you factor in the 6 figure debt most people have fresh out of flight school. This can easily scare a lot of people away.

Only increasing the pay at the majors/regionals is not going to solve the problem. There is a general consensus here that it is a pay shortage at the top which may or may not be true but that idea very conveniently benefits the people who work for the majors/regionals. There is no debate about increasing pay where it is actually stupid low - lower than minimum wage at times.