Cappy 208,
Have you had a new contract lately? Last time I checked, lots of East coasters were coming to the GOM to make more money, lots more money for a day rate. I assume your wife also works in order to be able to afford a comfortable lifestyle because if you are a mate or captain you are making about 82k to a 100k a year. I do not know what your other benifits contribute to your salary.
Who watches the kids? Who is there to raise them properly?
I work a 2 for one so I can give my family a comfortable life style too and allow my wife to stay home to raise the kids. She is there to pick them up from school, make them a real dinner, go to their sports games, etc. When I am off she is off too. We go wherever we want and not worry about work. In short we are doing what FAMILY oriented people do, we raise our kids the best way we can. Once they start driving she can go back to work. Once they are out of college and on their own I will have plenty of money extra and I can work day for day if I choose.
I am sure you have some better benifits than me such as travel pay, but I know I make more than my counterparts at Penn, Ksea, etc., etc. My health, and dental is paid 100% and the company gives us an annual match to our 401k depending on how business was that year.
Also, the equipment I work on is very new and state of the art, not old retrofitted junk that the east coast seems to love for the most part.
All this I and others like me down here in “The Patch” recieve without paying one penny to people who turn around and give it to crooked politicians.