So Congress in their infinite Wisdom is passing a rule that says that Airlines cannot hire pilots with less than 1500 Hours Total Time after Colgan Airlines failed to train their pilots, put them on a proper rest-work cycle, and then subsequently ended up killing a plane full of people when they ran into snow and ice. Is it just me or do people not understand that there really is no real "safe" number.

Accidents happen at all levels of flight hours. The most famous air accident at Tenerife was caused by a pilot with over 10,000 flight hours, and over 1,500 hours in the 747. Doesn't make you safe.
In the 1970's, a TWA 727 slammed into the side of a mountain in West Virginia. The pilot in command had about 5,000 hours. Doesn't make you safe.
In 2009, a Pilatus PC-12 carrying 19 people crashed outside of Butte, Montana. The pilot was a former Air Force Pilot and Airline Captain. Doesn't make you safe.

There is no magical safe number of flight hours that keeps you from crashing. Student pilots with low time kill themselves and their instructors. Pilots with tons of time kill themselves and their companions. There is no happy median. There is no magic bullet. There is no solid number that keeps people safe.

What does keep people safe are pilots that are confident, competent, properly trained, on a proper rest-work cycle, and who use Crew Resource Management to their full potential. You can't legislate good pilots, much like how you can't legislate good drivers.