Political Quotes

John Rice Carter: “The ordinary laborer-- which in my day, at least, we used to call those guys roughnecks or roustabouts--$60 an hour. And…”

On the recordJune 16, 2010
The ordinary laborer-- which in my day, at least, we used to call those guys roughnecks or roustabouts--$60 an hour. And the high-tech guys, the guys that can drive a drill bit down 5,000 feet under the water and another multithousands of feet and hit a 12-inch hole where this oil is coming out of, with that kind of skill, they're paid a lot more. Now the question I would have for the administration, if you take the drilling away and all those people are looking for a job to replace that income, where is the guy who developed his skills through experience at the low-paying job on a well? So maybe he's got a high school education, and he learned his job on the job. Where is he going to find $60 an hour to support his family on? It doesn't exist.
Said by
John Rice Carter
Republican · Georgia
Source
govinfo.gov
Jun 16, 2010

Editor's note · Context

Carter discusses the impact of drilling job losses on workers' incomes and job opportunities.

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