Will the real Mark Green please stand up?

Mark Green -- that's the Congressman, not the candidate for governor, apparently -- writes attaches his name to a column claiming he's working to reduce gasoline prices. Apparently he saw on television that prices were going up.

I wonder if this is the same Mark Green who:

-- Voted to let gasoline taxes go up automatically every year.

He voted three times on the issue of gas tax indexing. 1995 Assembly Bill 150, the state budget, passed on June 22, 1995 with Green voting “aye.” The bill revised the gas tax index formula to allow for an increase of 1.4 cents per gallon over the next two years.

On Sept. 16. 1997, Green voted for passage of 1997 Assembly Bill 100, the state budget bill, which included a one cent per gallon increase in the gas tax in addition to indexing the tax for inflation.

On May 6, 1998, Green voted to table Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Substitute 1 to 1997 Assembly Bill 768, the budget adjustment bill. The amendment would have required a gas tax cut and suspended the 1999 gas tax increase due to indexing if federal revenues exceeded estimates by more than $70-million.

-- Gave billions to Big Oil.

Green voted on April 21, 2005 for the Bush energy bill, which gave $2.822-billion in tax breaks to oil refining companies and companies producing coke form of coal. The bill included more than $8-billion in tax breaks, of which $6-billion went to the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries. [Critical Mass Energy Project]

-- Voted against cracking down on price-gouging.

Despite voting once this year for a bill with anti-price gouging language, in an election year conversion, Green has consistently voted on the other side in the past.

Green voted against a measure to provide the Federal Trade Commission with new authority to investigate and prosecute those that engage in predatory pricing, from oil companies on down to gas stations, with the emphasis on those who profit the most. [HR 3893, Vote #517, 10/7/2005]
Green opposed a motion to grant new authority to the Federal Trade Commission to investigate, enforce and then punish price gouging and market manipulation. Any violation would result in new civil penalties, and would be enforced with up to triple the damages of the profits gained by the violation. [HR 3893, Vote #518, 10/7/2005]

Green voted against a proposal to make it illegal during an energy crisis to sell crude oil, gasoline or petroleum at unconscionable levels.The legislation would also provide the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with new authority to investigate and prosecute those that engage in this "predatory pricing."[HR 3402, Vote #500, 9/28/2005]

-- Has taken more than $40,000 in gas and oil contributions.

Records from the Wisconsin State Elections Board, Center for Responsive Politics, and Political Money Line show Green has received $42,300 from political action committees and employees of oil and gas companies.

Want to know whether it's the same guy? He'd like to hear from you:

As always, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions. If you have any questions or comments, please give my office a call toll-free at 1-800-773-8579, e-mail me directly at mark.green@mail.house.gov, or check out my Web site at http://www.house.gov/markgreen.