I really blame the FAA for all this. The public entrusts them to make sure that airplanes are safe and that includes have well paid, experienced pilots in the front office. They sat by while regionals took over and they knew darn well that the rules were set up to put pilots at a severe disadvantage with safety regulations and union rules. You can't blame the companies for operating inside the law nor the public for assuming that the price of their ticket will not affect the safety of the flight.

Sadly the failings of the FAA is just another facet of the overall failure of our federal government to maintain our society in a sustainable, working fashion.