As far as the manning and separation policies go - it's another one of those "if it's the decision that the USAF leadership came up with, it's the wrong one." If their mouths are moving, they are wrong - manning, F-22, F-35, F-15 retirement, trying to take flight pay from enlisted aviators in certain fields, new uniforms, inexperience into UAV's, F-117 retirement, the list goes on.

For the promotion - there is no room for fairness - we all know the records get promoted. If you go to a traditional guard/reserve unit and you fly 6 days/month, you may not be able to compete with some who stayed on active duty. If you took on responsibility and/or were active in the current war, you'll probably be good to go. If not, take the fact that you have a seniority number and credited years of service with an airline as your consolation prize.