http://michiganmessenger.disqus.com/enFri, 22 Aug 2008 20:41:40 -0000http://www.michiganmessenger.com/?p=2772#comment-1738278To make every vote in every state politically relevant and equal in presidential elections, support the National Popular Vote bill.<br><br>The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). <br><br>The National Popular Vote bill has been approved by 21 legislative chambers (one house in CO, AR, ME, NC, and WA, and two houses in MD, IL, HI, CA, MA, NJ, RI, and VT). It has been enacted into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states have 50 (19%) of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring this legislation into effect.<br><br>see <a href="http://www.NationalPopularVote.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.NationalPopularVote.com</a><br>susanmvyFri, 22 Aug 2008 20:41:40 -0000http://www.michiganmessenger.com/?p=2772#comment-1735078The blog above has one factual inaccuracy in it. The amounts related to the taxable value declines, loss in State distributed revenues and other matters should be $5.4 million in 2008, $15.4 million in 2009 and $34.2 million in 2010. That was then, this is now. The Oakland County Executive, in accordance with statutory obligations, submitted a balanced budget to the Board of Commissioners in late June 2008. While the above references implies that Oakland County would increase taxes - THERE WERE NO TAX INCREASES AND THESE OPERATING SHORTFALLS WERE RESOLVED IN OPERATING REDUCTIONS.<br><br>At present, all departments have presented their operating budgets in recent hearings to the Finance Committee with no substantial changes from the County Executive recommendations provided during those hearings. I anticipate no significant changes before the budget's passage in September. Accordingly, absent unforeseen matters arising from this point on, we should have a balance operating budget for 2009, 2009 and 2010. We start work on the 2011 operating budget in October 2008.<br><br>Robert Daddow, Deputy County Executive<br>Oakland County, MichiganRobert DaddowFri, 22 Aug 2008 15:16:53 -0000